Failure to Label and Date Food Items in Kitchen Storage
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that food items in the kitchen were consistently labeled with open and/or discard dates and were discarded on or before the appropriate dates, as required by facility policy. During a kitchen tour, multiple food items in both the walk-in freezer and cooler were found either missing required labels, such as open or discard dates, or lacking expiration dates altogether. Items included pre-cooked biscuits, raw ribs, chicken pieces, corned beef brisket, French fries, sliced squash, pre-cooked pepperoni, coconut cream pie, cooked noodles, sliced peaches, cooked ground beef with spaghetti sauce, pudding, applesauce, cooked hamburger meat, and bulk bins of flour, sugar, and cornmeal. These items had either incomplete labeling or no labeling at all after being removed from their original packaging. Staff interviews confirmed that dietary staff had received education on proper labeling procedures, which included placing received dates, opening dates, and use-by or expiration dates on all food items. The Dietary Manager reviewed the findings and confirmed that staff should label all food products with the appropriate dates once removed from their original containers. Despite these policies and staff education, the observed deficiencies in labeling and dating of food items were present at the time of the survey.