Food Safety and Sanitation Deficiencies in Kitchen and Food Storage Areas
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to meet food safety requirements in the kitchen, as evidenced by several specific deficiencies observed during a survey. Defrosted meat stored in the walk-in refrigerator was not labeled with a pull date or use by date, and several veggie sausage patties were stored past their use by date. Additionally, an unlabeled plastic bin containing meat was found, and the Director of Dining Services confirmed that proper labeling, including type of meat, pull date, and use by date, was required but not followed. The walk-in refrigerator's wall and floor were observed to have dirt, and food debris was found on the bottom of the dairy refrigerator, which contained items such as Jello, milk, and cottage cheese. The dairy refrigerator was reportedly cleaned twice a week and as needed, but was not maintained in a clean condition at the time of observation. Further, the snack refrigerator contained three bags of unlabeled grapes, and the Director of Dining Services confirmed that these should have been labeled with the date received to ensure safe storage times. In the dry storage room, a plastic rice scoop was found lying on top of a plastic bin of rice instead of being stored inside a clean bag as required, creating a risk of contamination. These failures were observed in a facility where the majority of residents received food prepared in the kitchen, and the facility's own policies and procedures required proper labeling, dating, and sanitation practices that were not followed.