The Cascade City-County Health Department has ordered Great Falls Ice Company to suspend operations after finding pieces of black plastic in their ice bags, just days before the Fourth of July weekend.
Buddy Ferda, owner of Great Falls Ice, received a notice from the city on Wednesday to halt production at a critical time for his business.
Owen talks with Buddy Ferda:
"We got the fourth of July weekend. My biggest weekend of the year," Ferda said.
The health department inspection revealed some bags of ice from Great Falls Ice Company contained pieces of black plastic.
"What appears to be some plastic pieces from just the equipment and the new equipment that's in that facility," said Abigal Hill, the Health Officer for the City-County Health Department.
Ferda, who has been in the ice business since 1978, explained the source of the contamination: "I use plastic food grade plastic augers. And one of the augers, some plastic came off of it," Ferda said.
The piece in question is responsible for pushing ice from a large freezer bin into a tube that leads to bag assembly.
The inspection also revealed that Great Falls Ice Company was operating without a license at its new location on Great Bear Drive, where it has been for two weeks.
"They're in a new location that they're under the process of licensing, both with the City of Great Falls and with our department as well," Hill said.
Ferda claims he was unaware of the licensing issue: "I'm going to plead ignorant."
A city inspection on Wednesday also found active construction at the production site, raising additional concerns.
"Because it's an active construction area, there could be contaminants in that products too," Hill said.
Ferda disagrees with this assessment.
"It has nothing to do with the ice production. As you can see, the ice production is all self-contained," Ferda said.
The City-County Health Department has issued a notice to all retailers in the county who may purchase ice from the company, warning that the ice may not be safe for human consumption.
Despite the shutdown, Ferda stands by his product.
"I stand by my ice. I've been doing it forever. It's city water. It a piece of plastic. I got three months to make my living," Ferda said.
The health department has collected a sample of the plastic and is awaiting results.
(1st REPORT) The Cascade City-County Health Department in Great Falls has issued a "customer advisory" for ice from Great Falls Ice Company. The CCHD said in a news release on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, that Great Falls Ice is an unlicensed facility at 2801 Great Bear Avenue in Great Falls, and that ice made at the facility is from an "unapproved source."
WATCH:
The vendor is not currently licensed or certified in accordance with local health and safety regulations.
The CCHD said that ice from the manufacturer has been sold to retail locations throughout Cascade County, and that the ice may be contaminated and may not be safe for human consumption.
Actions Taken by CCHD:
• As of July 2, 2025, the Health Department has directed Great Falls Ice Co. to discontinue all ice production until the facility meets licensing requirements
• Retail food establishments have been notified of the unapproved source which may have been distributed to their location
The CCHD advises people to avoid consuming ice sold from the location.
If you have questions, you're advised to call the CCHD at 406-454-6950.
At this point, MTN News is not aware of any illnesses associated with this advisory.
No other details have been released. We will update you if we get more information.
