Failure to Serve Food and Beverages at Safe and Appetizing Temperatures
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that food and beverage items served to residents were safe and at appetizing temperatures. Resident Council minutes over several months documented ongoing concerns from residents about receiving cold food upon delivery, with repeated complaints about inconsistent food temperatures and dissatisfaction with meal quality. During interviews, the President of the Resident Council confirmed that residents continued to report that hot foods were being served cold and described the food as awful. Observations during breakfast and lunch meal services revealed that kitchen staff had difficulty keeping plate covers properly fitted over food trays. Plate covers frequently slid off or were not used correctly, resulting in food being left uncovered during transport to resident units. The facility did not have enough proper plate covers, leading staff to use two plate bottoms or only a single cover, which did not adequately maintain food temperatures. Temperature checks conducted by the Food Service Director and surveyor on delivered trays showed that both hot and cold food items were not at appropriate temperatures upon arrival to residents. For example, scrambled eggs and oatmeal were below the required hot holding temperature, while milk and juice were above the recommended cold holding temperature. The Food Service Director acknowledged that the food and beverage items were not at correct temperatures and attributed some of the issues to a lack of sufficient plate covers.