Failure to Label and Date Stored Food Items
Penalty
Summary
During a kitchen tour, surveyors observed that food items stored in the facility's refrigerators were not labeled or dated as required. Specifically, a large walk-in refrigerator contained an undated plastic container half full of soup, and the kitchen prep area refrigerator contained an undated three-quarters full plastic container of potato salad and an undated plastic container one-quarter full of diced ham cubes. Staff present at the time were unable to confirm how old these food items were or provide information on when they had been prepared or stored. The facility's policy on perishable food management requires all foods not in their original packaging to be labeled with a description and dates, including a use-by or discard date. The policy also states that leftover foods must be clearly labeled before refrigeration and used within three days, with disposal on the fourth day. The observed failure to label and date these food items was confirmed by the dietary manager, who stated that it is expected for all prepared foods and opened packages to be dated prior to storage. This deficiency had the potential to affect 35 residents who received food from these refrigerators.