Failure to Properly Label, Date, and Seal Food Items in Kitchen Storage
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that all food items in the refrigerator and freezer were properly sealed, labeled, and dated, as observed during a kitchen inspection. Four large plastic containers holding breadcrumbs, thickener, flour, and sugar were found without labels or dates. In the walk-in refrigerator, metal containers of watermelon, ketchup, and cucumbers were found to be outdated, and several other items including a bowl of icing, two sandwiches, a bag of sliced cheese, a bag of ham, poured glasses of iced tea, and a cooked pan of broccoli lacked labeling or dating, with the broccoli also not sealed to prevent air exposure. In the walk-in freezer, a box of biscuits was found unsealed and exposed to air. These issues were identified during an observation with the kitchen cook and confirmed in an interview with the Administrator, who acknowledged the need for staff education on labeling and dating procedures. A total of 110 out of 112 residents who received meals from the kitchen were potentially affected by these failures.