Failure to Store and Monitor Food Safely in Dietary Department
Penalty
Summary
Dietary staff failed to store cooked foods at safe temperatures and did not cover meats and vegetables in the walk-in refrigerator. During an observation, multiple racks in the walk-in refrigerator were found with uncovered vegetables and various meats, including chicken, fish, beef, pork, and salmon. Some of these items were raw, while others were partially cooked or prepared. The registered dietitian confirmed that opened foods should be covered to preserve moisture and prevent contamination. Additionally, boxes of sliced mushrooms were also left uncovered. The facility was unable to provide a policy regarding the storage of food in refrigerators when requested. The facility also failed to verify the temperatures of meats after using the blast chiller. The sous chef explained that meats were marked on the grill and then placed in the blast chiller, with the expectation that the chiller would cool them to the required temperature. However, there was no monitoring or temperature log maintained for meats undergoing blast chilling, and dietary staff were not checking meat temperatures after the process. The facility's policy required potentially hazardous foods to be cooled to 41°F or below within four hours and to measure food temperatures, but this was not being followed. The blast chiller manufacturer's instructions did not address verification of proper food temperatures after chilling.