Food Storage, Handling, and Sanitation Deficiencies Identified
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure food was prepared, distributed, and served under sanitary conditions in both the main kitchen and a nourishment refrigerator. Surveyors observed multiple food items in the main walk-in refrigerator and nourishment room refrigerators that were either unlabeled, undated, or stored past their safe use dates. Items such as half and half, pitchers of lemonade, hotdogs, hamburger patties, and various nutritional supplements were found without proper labeling or dating. Additionally, opened jars of jelly were left unrefrigerated despite manufacturer instructions to refrigerate after opening. During meal service, a certified nurse aide was observed preparing a sandwich in the nourishment room using bare hands to handle ready-to-eat foods, including bread, jelly, and peanut butter, without using gloves or utensils as required by food safety regulations. The dietary manager confirmed that this was not in accordance with facility policy or professional standards for food handling. The physical environment of the kitchen and nourishment rooms was also found to be unsanitary and conducive to pest harborage. Observations included open windows without screens, standing water on the dishwashing area floor, cracked or missing floor tiles, gaps between floors and walls, holes in walls, accumulated dirt, and the presence of dead cockroaches and ants. Glue traps containing numerous dead cockroaches were found, and ants were observed emerging from gaps in the baseboards. Maintenance and pest control records were requested but not provided.