Failure to Date Resident Food and Monitor Refrigerator Temperature
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to ensure that food items brought in from outside for residents were properly dated and that the temperature of the resident refrigerator was consistently monitored. During inspection, the resident refrigerator in the break room was found without a visible thermometer, and the temperature log had not been updated for nearly three weeks. Additionally, three food containers inside the refrigerator were undated. When questioned, the Dietary Manager indicated that responsibility for monitoring the refrigerator had shifted from dietary to housekeeping, and later confirmed that the thermometer was found buried under food containers and the temperature log was not current. Facility policy requires all prepared food brought in by family or visitors to be labeled with content and date, which was not followed in these instances.