Failure to Maintain Sanitary Food Handling and Proper Food Labeling
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain sanitary food handling practices in the main kitchen, specifically regarding employee hand hygiene during meal service. Observations revealed that a dietary aide repeatedly engaged in activities such as blowing his nose, touching his face, and scratching his neck without washing his hands before resuming food handling tasks. These actions included assembling meal trays, handling silverware, placing desserts on trays, and preparing drinks, all without performing required hand hygiene in between tasks. Staff interviews confirmed that hand hygiene training was provided, but the observed practices did not align with facility policy or professional standards. Additionally, the facility did not ensure that food items requiring time and temperature control were properly labeled, dated, or disposed of in a timely manner. During a kitchen inspection, multiple food items in both the walk-in and reach-in refrigerators were found to be unlabeled and undated, including shredded cheese, cheese in a metal pan, green chili past its use-by date, turkey pastrami with an outdated label, buttermilk past its best-by date, and raw chicken breasts. Several containers with different foods were also found without any labeling or dating. Staff interviews indicated that undated food items should be discarded, and that kitchen staff were responsible for checking product dates, but these procedures were not consistently followed. The deficiencies were identified through direct observation and staff interviews, with reference to both state food regulations and the facility's own policies. The issues centered on improper hand hygiene during food service and inadequate labeling and dating of food items, both of which are required for safe food handling and storage.