Deficiencies in Food Storage, Temperature Monitoring, and Staff Hygiene
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to consistently follow proper food storage, labeling, and dating procedures for both fresh and frozen items. During inspection, multiple food items in the refrigerator were found to be either undated, improperly wrapped, or stored beyond acceptable use-by dates. Items such as bacon, cheese, butter, black olives, ham, bologna, sausage, onions, and sour cream were either not dated, dated incorrectly, or kept past the recommended seven-day period. In the freezer, ham and vegetables were found with excessive ice crystals, indicating possible improper cooling or prolonged storage, and a bag of chili sauce was found thawed despite being in the freezer. Facility policies lacked clear definitions for use-by dates, contributing to inconsistent practices among staff. The facility also failed to maintain consistent monitoring and documentation of freezer temperatures. Temperature logs for one freezer showed several instances where the temperature exceeded the required threshold of zero degrees Fahrenheit, with no evidence of follow-up or corrective action. Additionally, there were gaps in temperature monitoring, with several dates missing afternoon temperature checks. Staff were unaware of these temperature deviations, and the required documentation of actions taken in response to out-of-range temperatures was not present, despite policy requirements. Food safety practices related to personal hygiene were not consistently implemented. Staff, including the culinary director and dietary assistants, were observed wearing hair nets that did not fully contain their hair, and one staff member with facial hair was not wearing a beard restraint. The facility lacked beard nets at the time of observation. Furthermore, food temperature monitoring before serving meals was inconsistently documented, with several meals lacking recorded temperatures. Policies required food temperatures to be checked and logged prior to serving, but this was not consistently done, and the policies themselves lacked clear guidance on timing and parameters for temperature checks.