Failure to Prepare Pureed Pork to Required Consistency for Residents on Pureed Diets
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that pureed pork served to residents on pureed diets was prepared to the required pudding-like consistency. During meal preparation, the cook measured, weighed, and blended pork with broth for residents requiring pureed diets. Despite multiple attempts to blend the pork, the resulting product was observed to be lumpy and stringy, rather than smooth and pudding-like as required by the facility's policy. The cook acknowledged the difficulty in achieving the correct texture, particularly noting that pork tends to be more difficult to puree. Further observations confirmed that the pureed pork was not fully blended and required chewing, which is inconsistent with the dietary needs of residents on pureed diets. The Food Service Director also agreed that the texture was inappropriate. The facility's policy specifies that pureed foods must be ground, pressed, or strained to a soft, smooth, thick paste similar to thick pudding, which was not achieved in this instance for all residents on pureed diets reviewed.