Failure to Maintain Sanitary Food Handling During Meal Service
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a certified nursing assistant (CNA) failed to serve food in a sanitary manner to a resident during lunch service. The CNA was observed delivering a lunch tray to the resident's room, removing the insulated cover from the plate, and handling the resident's food with bare hands. Specifically, the CNA repositioned the resident's feet, picked up a chicken tender from the plate and placed it in the resident's hand, and later picked up the same chicken tender from the bedside table and returned it to the plate, all without performing hand hygiene at any point during the process. Interviews with facility staff, including a licensed practical nurse (LPN) supervisor, the infection preventionist, and the assistant director of nursing, confirmed that staff should not touch residents' food with bare hands during meal service. The CNA also acknowledged that she should not have touched the food with bare hands. These actions were not in accordance with the 2022 FDA Food Code, which requires the use of suitable utensils or gloves to prevent cross-contamination of ready-to-eat food.