Failure to Remove Expired Food from Resident Refrigerators
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to remove expired food items from the personal refrigerators of four residents, as observed during a survey. Expired yogurts, gelatin, pepperoni, cheese, orange juice, and flavored water were found in the refrigerators of residents who were all cognitively intact and had various medical conditions, including dysphagia, prediabetes, malnutrition, diabetes, and muscle wasting. The residents were unaware that the food items were expired and expressed willingness to have them discarded when informed. Interviews with facility staff, including the DON, CNA, and housekeeping leadership, revealed inconsistent understanding and implementation of responsibilities for checking and discarding expired food. Housekeeping staff were identified as responsible for cleaning and removing expired items weekly, but there were no logs or documentation to confirm that these tasks were being performed. The facility's policy required discarding food after a set number of days and removing undated items, but this was not followed in practice, resulting in expired food remaining in resident refrigerators.