Widespread Kitchen Sanitation and Food Safety Deficiencies
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple sanitation and food safety deficiencies in the facility's kitchen during meal preparation and service for all residents. Dietary staff reported cooking eggs to order, including over-easy and sunny-side-up, but could not verify that the eggs used were pasteurized as required. The kitchen's back door had a gap allowing outside light to enter, and the window above the microwave, where bread was stored, had a layer of brown dust. The handwashing sink and eyewash station were dirty, and two wheeled carts had greasy, linty material on the wheels and shelves. Additional observations included brown stains on ceiling tiles, food debris on oven surfaces, dried food remnants in stove drip pans, and lint on shelving used for cutting boards. Dead insects were found in a fluorescent light above food prep areas, and a container holding thermometers and chemical testing strips was covered in brown dust, with the strips found to be expired. Further issues included an ice machine floor drain lacking the required two-inch air gap and baseboards throughout the kitchen that were missing or coming unattached from the walls. Dietary staff confirmed the need for cleaning and repair in these areas and acknowledged that undercooked eggs should be pasteurized. The facility's own Nutritional Service policy requires adherence to federal and state food codes for cleaning and sanitizing equipment, but these standards were not met as evidenced by the observations.