Failure to Label Refrigerated Food with Use By Dates
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when a dietary aide failed to label individually packaged cups of cottage cheese, yogurt, and pudding with a 'Use By' date before placing them in the refrigerator. During an observation, a food tray containing 20 individually wrapped dessert cups was found in the refrigerator without any labeling to indicate when the food should be used by. The dietary aide responsible for wrapping and storing the food admitted to not labeling the items and acknowledged that he should have ensured proper labeling for food safety. The dietary supervisor confirmed witnessing the dietary aide wrapping the dessert cups and stated that the aide was aware of the standard practice to label food when refrigerating it. The facility's policy and procedure on labeling and dating foods requires that all prepared or opened foods intended for storage longer than 24 hours be marked with a 'Use By' date. The failure to follow this policy was directly observed and confirmed through staff interviews and policy review.