Food Safety and Sanitation Deficiencies in Dietary Services
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that food was prepared, stored, served, and distributed in accordance with professional standards of food service safety. Observations revealed that the ice machine was not properly cleaned, with visible yellow-orange, pink, black, and yellow substances that could be wiped away, and rough surfaces inside the machine. The maintenance supervisor confirmed these findings and stated that cleaning was performed monthly, but the presence of residues indicated inadequate cleaning. The registered dietitian and facility policies confirmed that the ice machine should be cleaned and sanitized according to manufacturer instructions to prevent microbial contamination. Further deficiencies were observed in the maintenance and sanitation of kitchen equipment and food storage practices. The blade of the can opener was found to be chipped and worn, and nonstick cooking pans had significant scratches on their surfaces, both of which could lead to physical contamination of food. Multiple food items in refrigerators, dry storage, and the walk-in freezer were inconsistently dated, with some items lacking opened or used by dates, and some being past their manufacturer’s use-by dates. Opened food packages were not properly resealed, and thawing meat was not labeled with a pull date. Produce items, including tomatoes and oranges, were found to be spoiled with visible mold, and the certified dietary manager confirmed that staff had not been checking vegetables as required. Additional issues were identified with the resident food refrigerator, where the freezer section was not clean and lacked a thermometer for temperature monitoring. Temperature logs were incomplete, with missing entries for several days and incorrect temperature recordings for the freezer. The infection preventionist confirmed these findings and acknowledged that the charge nurse was responsible for monitoring temperatures. Facility policies required that refrigerators and freezers be kept clean, monitored, and maintained at appropriate temperatures, but these procedures were not followed, contributing to the overall deficiency.