Improper Food Storage and Expired Food Found in Kitchen Areas
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple instances of improper food storage and the presence of expired and deteriorating food items in the facility's kitchen areas. In the walk-in freezer, there were several boxes of food, containers, and a bag of ice, along with unidentifiable debris, despite the freezer not being in use due to a malfunctioning door. The walk-in fridge contained a box with a bottle of green liquid, a yellow rag, wrinkled green bell peppers with gray and black bio growth, an open can, a box of tomatoes with yellow string particles, a container of boiled eggs with ripped plastic wrap, and a bucket of pickles labeled with an expiration date that had already passed. The trailer freezer was also found to have multiple open cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other. Interviews with the Certified Dietary Manager (CDM) confirmed that the walk-in freezer was not supposed to be used and that food items had been improperly stored there. The CDM acknowledged that staff may have placed food in the freezer out of convenience, and that expired or poor condition food should have been discarded. The Nursing Home Administrator, upon reviewing photographic evidence, stated an expectation for proper food storage and cleanliness. The facility's own policy requires regular sanitation inspections to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations, which was not followed in these instances.