Deficient Food Handling and Storage Practices Identified
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain safe food handling practices in several areas, as observed during a survey. Two out of four red sanitization buckets used in the kitchen were not maintained at the correct chemical concentration, as required by the manufacturer's guidelines of 200-400 ppm. Additionally, the log for checking the sanitizer concentration showed that the required check at 8:00 a.m. was not performed. The Dietary Supervisor confirmed that these buckets are used to sanitize kitchen surfaces. Further deficiencies were observed in food storage and labeling. One plastic container of expired red tomato salsa and one container of green salsa, both past their use-by dates, were found in the walk-in refrigerator. In the dry storage area, an open bag of penne pasta noodles and an open bag of spaghetti pasta noodles were not labeled with an open date or use-by date. The facility's policies require that leftover or opened foods be labeled and dated to ensure proper use and safety. The Dietary Supervisor acknowledged the importance of these practices to prevent serving expired or unsafe food.