Failure to Properly Label and Store Resident Food Brought from Outside
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that food items brought in by family or visitors for a resident were properly labeled and stored according to facility policy. During an observation and review in the conference room refrigerator designated for residents' outside food, it was found that a resident's liquid food items, including a partially used carton of lactose-free milk and several plastic bags of single-packed creamers, were not labeled with required information such as received date, open date, use-by date, or expiration date. The milk carton only had an expiration date, and the creamers were removed from their original packaging and lacked any dating or labeling. Interviews with the Infection Preventionist (IP) and Dietary Manager (DM) confirmed that the facility's policy requires all food items brought in for residents to be labeled with the resident's name, the item, and a use-by date, and that perishable items should be discarded on or before the use-by date. The IP stated that she checks the refrigerator daily on weekdays and another staff member checks on weekends, but acknowledged missing the missing dates and labeling on the items in question. The facility's written policies also require opened beverages to be dated and discarded after 24 hours, and all food items to be sealed or covered during storage, which was not followed in this instance.