Failure to Maintain Sanitary Conditions and Proper Food Labeling in Nutritional Refrigerator
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain the nutritional refrigerator in the resident recreation room in a sanitary condition and did not ensure that undated or expired foods were discarded. Observations revealed a large container of ice cream and three chocolate ice cream bars in the freezer without any dates indicating when they were opened or their expiration. The refrigerator emitted a strong foul, sour odor, and its shelves were cluttered with trays of food stacked on top of each other, as well as undated items such as Jello cups, a birthday cake, a paper bag, and two zip lock bags with fruit, some of which were labeled with resident names but lacked dates. Interviews with facility staff indicated confusion and lack of clarity regarding responsibility for cleaning the nutritional refrigerator. The Dietary Manager stated that kitchen staff did not clean the refrigerator and that this was the responsibility of nursing staff. The clerk responsible for monitoring daily temperatures was not informed that cleaning was part of their duties, and the housekeeper was also unsure about who was responsible. The Infection Preventionist Nurse acknowledged awareness of the refrigerator's poor condition, including the presence of undated and unnamed food items.