Deficiencies in Food Preparation, Storage, and Kitchen Sanitation
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that food was prepared, cooked, stored, and served in accordance with professional standards and facility policies. During food preparation, the Dietary Manager (DM) did not follow recipes as written, including not weighing ingredients, using incorrect ingredient substitutions, and failing to measure or time cooking steps. The DM also did not ensure that food items reached the required minimum internal cooking temperatures, as evidenced by multiple instances where turkey, squash, and sweet potatoes were not cooked to the appropriate temperatures before being placed on the steam table or served. Temperature logs were incomplete, with many days missing required entries, and some food items, such as fish, were documented as being cooked below the required temperature. Staff interviews confirmed that food temperatures were often not checked or recorded, and that malfunctioning ovens contributed to undercooked food being served. The facility also failed to properly label, date, and seal food items in storage. Observations revealed multiple opened containers of food in refrigerators and dry storage that were not labeled with the date of opening or use-by dates, and some items were not sealed. The DM confirmed that all items should have been labeled, dated, and sealed according to facility policy, but this was not consistently done. Additionally, resident complaints were documented regarding food being overcooked, undercooked, not warm enough, and not fresh, and facility investigations verified these complaints. Cleaning and sanitation practices in the kitchen were also deficient. Cleaning logs did not include tasks for key equipment and areas, such as oven surfaces, behind cooking equipment, or ceilings. Observations found food debris, spills, and stains on kitchen equipment, floors, and ceilings, as well as a buildup of debris and a gray fuzzy substance behind the range. The DM and staff confirmed that these areas should have been clean, but were not. These failures in food preparation, storage, and kitchen cleanliness had the potential to affect all residents consuming food from the kitchen.