Failure to Maintain and Sanitize Kitchen Equipment and Food Storage Areas
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that kitchen equipment and food storage areas were not properly maintained, cleaned, or sanitized. Specifically, a layer of dark brown dust was found coating the pan drying rack, and a darker brown coating of dirt was present in the corner of the walk-in freezer. The Dietary Manager confirmed that the pan drying rack was dusty and should have been cleaned, and was unable to state when the freezer was last cleaned, noting that a third-party source was responsible for its cleaning. Additionally, three aluminum skillets were found with a thick layer of black coating on both the interior and exterior, which could be scraped off with a fingernail. The Dietary Manager acknowledged that the skillets should not have had this residue. Further observations revealed a thick layer of ice build-up on the pipe going from the walk-in refrigerator into the freezer, as well as a large sheet of ice coating a stack of three opened cardboard boxes of pizza dough. The Dietary Manager stated that ice should not be coating the food boxes, pipes, or dripping from the air condenser unit, and again indicated that a third-party company was responsible for cleaning the walk-in units, but did not know when this last occurred. The Administrator stated that the walk-in refrigerator and freezer should be cleaned whenever dirty and that either maintenance or kitchen staff should be responsible for cleaning, clarifying that the outside vendor only handled equipment maintenance, not cleaning.