Failure to Follow Policy for Storage and Discarding of Resident Food Brought by Family
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to implement its policy regarding the storage and handling of food and beverages brought in by family or visitors for residents. Specifically, two frozen bottles of apple juice belonging to a resident were found stored in the staff refrigerator, rather than in the designated resident food refrigerator. One of the bottles was past its expiration date, and the other had no expiration date marked. According to the facility's policy, expired food or beverages should be discarded, and items without a manufacturer's expiration date should be dated upon arrival and discarded after three days if refrigerated or thirty days if frozen. The Director of Staff Development confirmed that the bottles belonged to the resident and acknowledged the improper storage and failure to discard the expired item. The resident involved had a regular diet order with thin liquids and had been admitted to the facility prior to the incident. The Director of Nursing also confirmed that the bottles should have been stored in the appropriate refrigerator and that the expired juice should have been discarded, as per facility policy. The improper storage and failure to discard the expired juice were identified during an observation and interview, and the deficiency was limited to this one resident among the sampled group.