Failure to Maintain Proper Dishwashing Temperatures and Safe Food Storage
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that its chemical low-temperature dish machine consistently reached the required minimum temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit during both wash and rinse cycles, as observed during multiple uses by dietary staff and management. The dish machine was documented to reach only 88 to 112 degrees Fahrenheit during several cycles, and staff confirmed that it typically required running three to four loads before reaching the necessary temperature. The Dietary Manager and Regional Certified Dietary Manager both operated the dish machine without achieving the required temperatures, and the issue was corroborated by a representative from the contracted dish machine service company, who confirmed the minimum temperature requirements for proper sanitization. Additionally, the facility did not properly dispose of spoiled vegetables from its garden, as evidenced by the presence of a box containing a cucumber with a gray fuzzy coating and two soft tomatoes with brown holes and a gnat inside one of them, found on the 3-compartment sink in the kitchen. The Activities Director, acting as the Dietary Manager at the time, confirmed the spoiled produce was from the facility's garden and acknowledged it should not have been present in the kitchen. These deficiencies had the potential to affect 38 residents who consumed food prepared in the facility's kitchen.