Deficiency in Safe Food Storage Practices
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure safe food storage practices, as evidenced by the presence of outdated food items in the kitchen refrigerator during a recertification survey. Specifically, during an initial tour of the kitchen, surveyors observed expired dietary prepared snacks, including 20 plastic cups of 4 ounces of cottage cheese, 8 plastic cups of 4 ounces of skim milk, 4 plastic cups of 4 ounces of cut pears, and 20 plastic cups of 4 ounces of cranberry juice, all with labeled dates indicating they were expired. Interviews with Dietary Aide #1 and the Dietary Supervisor revealed that the outdated food items were overlooked and should have been discarded, with the Dietary Supervisor acknowledging that expired food poses a health hazard and should not be consumed. The facility's policy on food storage and holding timeframes, which was last reviewed on a specified date, mandates that food items be dated, placed in a container, and discarded if not consumed, which was not adhered to in this instance.
Plan Of Correction
Plan of Correction: Approved March 31, 2025 Element #1 All foods that were out of date were discarded immediately. Element #2 A thorough inspection of the kitchen area will be completed by the food service Director to identify similar defective practices and any deficient practices will be addressed immediately. Counseling will be issued to all employees for noncompliance. Element #3 Dietary consultant will provide an in-service on when foods should be discarded. The policy for food storage will be reviewed by the food service director to ensure it states when food should be discarded. All kitchen staff will be in-serviced with the updated policy. Element #4 An audit tool will be developed by the Dietary consultant to ensure compliance with out of date food. The dietary service supervisor or designee will conduct weekly inspections of the kitchen area to verify the consistent to specific standards. Should the inspections find any issues necessitating corrective actions, the Food service Director will address them immediately. The Food service Director will submit a status report to the administrator on a weekly basis. The Food service Director will present the findings and corrective actions if indicated to the QAPI committee and thereafter the QAPI committee will determine the frequency of reports. Element #5 Administrator 05/01/25