Failure to Store and Monitor Food and Equipment per Professional Standards
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to store food and utilize equipment in accordance with professional standards for food service safety in the main kitchen and two nourishment areas. Observations revealed multiple instances of food items not being labeled or dated, such as bins of brown and white sugar, packs of succotash vegetables, boxes of green beans, packages of hot dog buns, and various cookies and cake mixes. Some food items were found with packaging left open or appeared freezer burned. Additionally, open containers of food, such as vanilla puddings labeled for medication pass, were left in refrigerators, and thickening powder was found with two different open dates and a scoop stored inside the container. These findings were confirmed through staff interviews, which acknowledged that food items should be labeled, dated, and stored properly per facility policy. Temperature logs for refrigerators and freezers in the kitchen and nourishment areas were incomplete or missing for several dates, and the facility was unable to provide certain kitchen equipment temperature logs when requested. Observations also noted that scoops were stored inside containers rather than in a protected area nearby, contrary to policy. The facility's policy required food to be properly labeled, dated, and stored, with temperatures monitored and recorded at least twice daily, but these procedures were not consistently followed. The Nursing Home Administrator confirmed that the facility's expectation was for expired items to be discarded and for food items and equipment to be managed according to professional standards.