Deficient Food Safety and Sanitation Practices in Kitchen and Ice Machines
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to adhere to proper personal hygiene and food safety protocols in the kitchen and unit food storage areas. Observations included kitchen staff preparing meals without appropriate hair and beard restraints, and staff failing to perform hand hygiene after glove changes or before food handling. Despite signage reminding staff of hand hygiene requirements, these practices were not consistently followed. Additionally, food items in the kitchen refrigerator and unit refrigerators were found to be undated or improperly labeled, including raw chicken, sliced tomatoes, banana cream pie, sushi, and other unidentifiable foods. Staff provided conflicting information regarding responsibility for discarding undated food, and acknowledged that undated items should be discarded but were not consistently removed. Further deficiencies were observed in the maintenance and sanitation of facility ice machines. One ice machine was found draining into a container of dirty water that also contained a sealed food item, and the interior of the machine had visible black spotting. Another ice machine had drain pipes covered in dark, slimy substances and black mold, with pink mold present where ice was dispensed. Staff were observed using these machines to provide ice to residents. Maintenance and dining services staff confirmed the presence of debris, mold, and slime, and acknowledged responsibility for cleaning the machines, but the issues persisted at the time of survey.