Failure to Use Hair Restraints and Monitor Food Temperatures in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to adhere to professional standards for food service safety in its main kitchen, specifically regarding the use of hair restraints and the monitoring of food temperatures. Observations revealed that a cook was preparing and cooking food on the grill without wearing any type of hair restraint, in violation of the facility's policy which requires all kitchen staff to keep hair effectively restrained to prevent contamination. The cook admitted to sometimes not wearing a hair restraint and stated that no one had addressed this issue with him. The Food Service Director (FSD) confirmed that all staff were required to wear hair restraints in the kitchen. Additionally, the facility did not consistently monitor or document the final internal temperatures of cooked foods prior to serving them to residents. During breakfast service, it was observed that certain food items, such as pureed eggs and minced and moist pancakes, were held at temperatures below the required standard, with recorded temperatures of 80°F and 100°F, respectively. The cook acknowledged that these were typical holding temperatures and admitted to not checking the final cooked temperatures for these or for special order items like sausage patties. The FSD stated that all hot foods should be held at 135°F and that temperatures must be monitored before serving, but the Food Temperature Log did not reflect proper monitoring for all items. Resident feedback during a council meeting indicated that some breakfast items, including eggs, were served cold. The FSD later confirmed that several residents had been served the under-temperature food items and that the temperature log was updated only after reheating, without documentation of the initial final cooked temperatures. The lack of proper temperature monitoring and failure to use hair restraints represent noncompliance with both facility policy and food safety standards.