Unsanitary Kitchen Conditions and Improper Food Handling
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple failures in the facility's kitchen related to food storage, equipment condition, cleanliness, and staff hygiene. Expired food items, including bread, hamburger buns, and English muffins, were found stored in the freezer. A large stock pot was noted to be warped, dented, and had a black substance on its inner top part. Two ceiling vents above the ice machine and freezers were dusty, corroded, and surrounded by peeling paint, with meat products stored underneath these vents observed to be dusty and stained with yellow discoloration. These findings were verified by the Dietary Supervisor and Maintenance Supervisor during the inspection. Additionally, staff were observed not following proper hygiene protocols. One cook was seen working in the kitchen without a beard restraint, and this was confirmed on two separate occasions. A dietary aide was observed placing his hands into a bucket containing sanitizing solution and a dish rag after rinsing dirty dishes, instead of performing hand hygiene at the sink. The aide acknowledged that this was not the correct process for handwashing. These actions and inactions contributed to unsanitary conditions and improper food handling practices in the kitchen.