Expired Food Items Found in Kitchen Storage
Penalty
Summary
During a kitchen tour, surveyors observed multiple food items in storage that were past their expiration dates, including jars of grape jelly, bags of pecan pieces, chunk light tuna, hot cocoa mix, and various flavors of gelatin. The facility's policy required all items to be inspected upon receipt and marked with both the date received and the discard or expiration date, with expired items to be discarded promptly. Staff interviews confirmed that expired food should be removed during inventory checks, and the Dietary Manager acknowledged the presence of expired items, stating they should have been discarded. The Administrator also confirmed the expectation that dietary staff discard food items on or before their expiration date. These findings indicated that expired foods were available for use, contrary to facility policy.