Expired and Unlabeled Food Items Found in Kitchen Storage
Penalty
Summary
During a kitchen inspection, surveyors observed multiple food items stored in the walk-in refrigerator, walk-in freezer, and kitchen that were either expired or improperly labeled. Specific items included cooked turkey, cheese, pepperjack cheese, salsa, fish, chicken legs, chicken tenders, riblets, Italian steak rolls, and rye bread. Several of these items were past their expiration, use by, or best by dates, and some were found with visible spoilage, such as bluish-green discoloration on bread. Additionally, several opened food items were not labeled with required information such as preparation date, use by date, or staff initials, as outlined in the facility's posted Temperature Control Safety (TCS) Food Labeling Guide. The Director of Dining confirmed during the survey that all open items should have been labeled and that expired items should have been removed and discarded. The failure to properly label and remove expired food items was identified as not meeting professional standards for food service safety, with the potential to affect all residents consuming food prepared in the facility's kitchen.