Deficient Food Storage, Equipment Maintenance, and Sanitation Practices Identified
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple failures in food storage, preparation, and equipment maintenance within the facility's kitchen. Seventeen pre-filled orange juice cups and two orange juice pitchers were found in a refrigerator without any use by or expiration dates. Dietary staff confirmed these items should have been labeled to ensure expired food is not served to residents. Additionally, the conventional oven's temperature knobs had no visible settings, requiring staff to guess the temperature during cooking. Staff acknowledged that this could result in food not being cooked to the required temperature, with the gas department previously noting the oven was not heating properly and had since been adjusted, possibly leading to overheating. Further observations revealed that eighteen large metal baking trays had visible grease build-up, and two large food pans were dented. Staff indicated that using trays with caked-on grease could pose a fire hazard. A blender used for preparing mechanical soft diets was found to have small cracks at the bottom and was dirty and dusty, despite being relatively new. Staff stated the importance of having equipment in good condition to ensure proper food preparation for residents requiring pureed diets. The dishwashing machine was observed to have visible calcification, corrosion, and discoloration. Staff reported that the machine is serviced annually and tested daily, but acknowledged that the corrosion could present electrical hazards and impact the machine's ability to properly sanitize dishes. Facility policies and procedures reviewed by surveyors required proper labeling and dating of refrigerated foods, maintenance of clean and undamaged equipment, and safe food handling practices, all of which were not followed as observed during the survey.