Failure to Properly Label and Identify Resident Food Items in Nourishment Refrigerator
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to store, prepare, distribute, and serve food in accordance with professional standards for food service safety, specifically in the nourishment refrigerator near the 300 Hallway. Observations revealed multiple food items, including opened tubs of pimento cheese, yogurt containers, supplement shakes, an oral rehydration solution, Med Pass supplements, and a jar of olives, that were not properly labeled with resident names, received dates, or staff initials as required by the facility's policy. Some items only had partial labeling, such as received dates and staff initials, but lacked resident identification. The facility's policy required all food items brought in for residents to be labeled with the resident's name, received date, production date, use by date, and staff initials. Interviews with staff, including a Certified Registered Care Aide, RN, Assistant Director of Health Services, Director of Health Services, and Director of Dietary Services, confirmed a lack of clarity and consistency regarding responsibility for labeling and identifying food items. Several staff members were unsure to whom the food items belonged, and the Director of Dietary Services stated it was not his responsibility to label items with resident names. The Executive Director acknowledged there was no specific policy for food brought by family, only a general labeling policy, and was unaware that all foods in the residents' refrigerator should have a resident's name. This lack of proper labeling and identification led to the deficiency cited by surveyors.