Unpalatable and Overcooked Food Served to Residents
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to provide palatable and nutritious food to residents, as evidenced during a lunch test tray review. The meal, which included pork chop, baked potato, mixed vegetables, dinner roll, cake, milk, and juice, was found to be overcooked and unappetizing. Specifically, the pork chop was hard and lacked flavor, the baked potato was hard near the edges, the mixed vegetables were not palatable, and the dinner roll was hard and overcooked. These findings were confirmed by the Dietary Supervisor, who acknowledged the overcooking of the meal components. Two residents reported that the food was not palatable and specifically mentioned the pork chops being too hard to eat, leading them to request sandwiches as alternatives. One resident, who had broken teeth, was unable to eat the overcooked pork chop. Both residents expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the food, indicating that it was not meeting their needs. The facility's policy requires that each resident be provided with a nourishing, palatable, well-balanced diet that meets their nutritional and dietary needs, but this standard was not met in these instances.