Deficient Kitchen Sanitation and Food Storage Practices
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain the kitchen in a sanitary condition, as evidenced by observations of unclean food preparation and storage equipment. During an inspection, surveyors found two ovens with heavy accumulations of dried and burned food, a large manual can opener with dried and sticky substances, and multiple refrigerator shelves with a black substance that could be wiped away. The Dietary Manager (DM) confirmed these findings and stated that dietary staff were expected to follow the kitchen's cleaning schedule and keep all equipment clean. Additionally, the facility did not ensure that food items were properly dated or discarded by their expiration or use-by dates. Surveyors observed expired hot dog buns, loaves of bread, and thickened orange juice in both the walk-in and dry food storage areas, as well as undated thawed nutritional shakes and bread products. An opened container of thickened apple juice was also found in the diet kitchen refrigerator, which had exceeded the recommended seven-day storage period after opening. The DM confirmed that staff were responsible for dating items and discarding expired products, but these procedures were not followed.