Failure to Label and Discard Expired Food Items in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to follow proper food handling practices in accordance with its own policy and professional standards. During an inspection of the kitchen, multiple food items were found either unlabeled or past their use by dates. Specifically, a clear container of beets and four bags of corn tortillas were found with expired use by dates, while an opened tub of cottage cheese, a gallon container of buttermilk ranch dressing, and a four-pound jar of peanut butter were either expired or lacked required labeling such as the food item name, open date, or use by date. The Dietary Supervisor confirmed that these items were opened and should have been labeled and discarded if expired, as per facility policy. A review of the facility's policy and the 2022 FDA Food Code confirmed that all food items must be labeled and dated, and expired foods must be discarded. The Dietary Supervisor acknowledged that the failure to label and discard expired foods was not in accordance with policy and could result in serving expired food to residents. No information was provided regarding specific residents affected or their medical conditions at the time of the deficiency.