Failure to Serve Correct Pureed Diet Portion Sizes
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to serve the appropriate portion sizes for two residents on pureed diets during a lunch meal. The planned menu called for specific items and portion sizes, including chicken, peas, and a dinner roll, to be served in pureed form. During meal preparation, staff blended three chicken breasts and three dinner rolls together, then pureed peas separately, but did not use the correct scoop sizes as indicated by the posted serving chart. Instead of the required #6 scoop (5 1/3 oz.) for pureed chicken and #8 scoop (4 oz.) for pureed peas, staff used a #8 scoop (4 oz.) for chicken and a #12 scoop (2 1/2-3 oz.) for peas. Staff involved in meal preparation were unsure of the correct scoop sizes and relied on a book for guidance, but did not follow the posted chart or the facility's policy for determining portion sizes. The consulting dietician confirmed that staff were expected to follow the menu and serve the proper serving sizes, and noted that the dinner roll and chicken should have their serving sizes combined when pureed together. The facility's policy required staff to follow recipe portion sizes, blend the correct number of portions, and divide the total volume by the number of portions to determine serving size. These procedures were not followed, resulting in residents on pureed diets receiving incorrect portion sizes for their meals.