Failure to Maintain Sanitary Food Storage and Temperature Monitoring
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to store and serve food under sanitary conditions in accordance with professional standards for all 29 residents who consumed food or drinks from the nutrition refrigerator or freezer. Observations revealed that there was no temperature log for the refrigerator or freezer in the nourishment room, and staff were unsure of the location or existence of such logs. Interviews with nursing and dietary staff confirmed that kitchen staff were responsible for monitoring temperatures, stocking, and removing expired items, but had not been checking or recording temperatures for the nutrition room refrigerator and freezer. Further inspection of the nutrition refrigerator and freezer found expired food items, including a sandwich and a bag of shredded cheese, as well as several individually packaged peanut butter and jelly sandwiches without expiration dates. These sandwiches, which were labeled to be stored frozen until served, were found in the refrigerator instead of the freezer. The DON confirmed the presence of expired items, lack of expiration dates, improper storage of food items, and uncertainty regarding temperature monitoring responsibilities.