Expired Food and Unclean Equipment in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
During a kitchen tour with the Dietary Manager, surveyors observed two containers of cottage cheese in the walk-in refrigerator that were past their expiration date. Additionally, a covered meat slicer was found to have food particle debris on its base and blade, despite being covered as if it were clean. The Dietary Manager confirmed both the presence of expired food and the unclean condition of the meat slicer, acknowledging that expired foods should be disposed of by or on their expiration date and that equipment should not be covered until properly cleaned. A review of facility policies indicated that food should be stored according to safe food handling practices and that all utensils and equipment should be kept clean except during active use.