Failure to Follow Food Safety Standards in Kitchen Operations
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple failures to adhere to professional food safety standards in the facility's kitchen. During an inspection, two opened spice bottles were found on the spice rack, leaving the contents exposed and not properly sealed as required by facility policy. Additionally, a cook was seen dropping a piece of cubed chicken onto the service line counter and then placing it onto a resident's plate, rather than discarding it. The same cook was also observed changing gloves on three separate occasions without washing hands before donning new gloves, which is contrary to both facility policy and standard food safety practices. The cook acknowledged these lapses and confirmed awareness of the correct procedures. The facility's policies on food handling and storage require proper sealing of opened containers and emphasize the importance of personal hygiene among food service employees. Despite monthly in-service training on food safety, these deficiencies were directly observed during kitchen operations. The interim administrator confirmed awareness of the incidents, including the improper storage of spices, failure to wash hands between glove changes, and the handling of dropped food.