Failure to Label, Date, and Discard Resident Food Items per Policy
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that food items stored in the residents' refrigerator were properly labeled, dated, and discarded within the timeframe specified by facility policy. During an observation with a registered nurse, surveyors found a pizza with a gray substance in an unsealed, unlabeled, and undated container in the freezer, as well as chicken and rice with a gray substance and a date, a container of spaghetti labeled only with a room number, and a blue bowl of beans with no label or date in the refrigerator. The registered nurse acknowledged that the food items should have been labeled and dated, and stated that kitchen and dietary staff were responsible for maintaining refrigerator cleanliness. Interviews with facility staff, including the Dietary Director, DON, and Director of Operations, revealed inconsistent understanding and enforcement of the policy regarding food labeling, dating, and timely disposal. The Dietary Director expected foods to be labeled with a resident's name and date and stated that dietary aides were responsible for checking the refrigerator, while the DON and Director of Operations both indicated that food should be labeled, dated, and discarded within two days, and that management staff should ensure compliance. The presence of unlabeled, undated, and potentially spoiled food items indicated a failure to follow established procedures for food safety.