Deficient Sanitary Food Storage and Handling in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified deficiencies in the facility's main kitchen related to the storage, distribution, and serving of food in a sanitary manner. During an initial kitchen tour, multiple stacks of steam table pans were found stored with moisture trapped between them, and several cutting boards were observed to be scored, gouged, or burned, making them difficult to clean and sanitize effectively. Additional observations in the walk-in refrigerator revealed more scored cutting boards and further instances of wet steam table pans being stacked together. These conditions were not in accordance with professional standards, which require that food-contact surfaces be maintained in a clean and sanitary state and that equipment be kept free of residue and debris. Further inspection revealed that perishable foods were not consistently discarded after their expiration dates. Specifically, a pan of egg salad was found with a discard date that had already passed, and pans of blueberries and lettuce were undated and exhibited a white film on their surfaces, indicating spoilage. Staff interviews confirmed that there were established procedures for replacing damaged equipment and discarding expired or spoiled food, but the observed conditions indicated these procedures were not consistently followed.