Deficiencies in Kitchen Food Storage, Cleanliness, and Staff Hygiene
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple deficiencies in the facility's kitchen related to food storage, cleanliness, and staff hygiene. During inspections, various food items in the walk-in refrigerator and dry storage were found uncovered, undated, and open to air, including butterscotch pudding, macaroni and cheese, beef base, juices, salad dressings, deli meats, and thawed meats. Some containers were not labeled with the date opened or a discard date, and several items were not properly covered. The dry storage area also had a bin of oats without a lid and a sticky substance on the floor, which staff acknowledged had been present for some time. Staff interviews revealed a lack of instruction on proper dating and covering of food items, despite the existence of facility policies requiring these practices. Additionally, staff were observed not adhering to personal hygiene standards while handling food. One dietary aide was seen serving food with a beard net around his neck rather than covering his facial hair, contrary to facility policy. The dietary manager confirmed that staff with facial hair are required to wear beard restraints while preparing and serving food. These lapses in hygiene practices were directly observed during meal service. The facility also failed to maintain proper waste management in the kitchen and dry storage areas. Trash cans containing food waste were found uncovered and unattended in both the dry storage and soiled dish areas. In some cases, the lids were present but not in use, and staff were unsure about the requirements for covering trash cans. Facility policy mandates that all trash containers be lined and kept covered with lids when not in use, but this was not consistently followed during the survey.