Failure to Prepare Pureed Foods to Required Consistency
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to properly prepare pureed food items to a smooth consistency as required by their own policy. During observation, the cook prepared pureed spaghetti with meat sauce and pureed green beans for three residents on pureed diets. The food was processed according to the recipe, but both the spaghetti and green beans contained small, unblended pieces that required chewing, and the green beans had pieces of skin remaining. The Food Service Manager confirmed that the foods did not meet the required smooth, pudding-like consistency and instructed the cook to reprocess the items. Despite additional attempts, the green beans could not be pureed to the correct consistency and were deemed unsuitable for serving. The facility's policy on pureed foods specifies that items should be processed until very smooth, like pudding, with commercial thickener or stabilizer added as directed. The deficiency was identified for three residents who required pureed diets, as the food provided did not meet the necessary texture requirements. The issue was observed directly by surveyors and confirmed by staff during the meal preparation process.