Failure to Properly Store and Label Food Items
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to properly handle and store potentially hazardous food items in the Unit 4 pantry refrigerator. Specifically, a container of sour cream and a quart of half and half were found with expiration dates that had already passed. Additionally, six containers of food brought in from outside the facility were discovered without any labels or dates, including a plastic bag with an unidentified whitish substance and an open container of soup, both lacking open or use-by dates. These findings were made in the presence of facility staff, who acknowledged that expired food should not be stored and that outside food should be labeled and dated according to facility policy. Interviews with the Dietary Director and the Director of Nursing confirmed that nursing staff are responsible for maintaining pantry cleanliness, ensuring food is not expired, and verifying that outside food is properly labeled and dated. Facility policies reviewed by the surveyors require perishable foods to be checked and discarded after three days, and all food items to be labeled and dated according to manufacturer or facility guidelines. The observed failure to follow these procedures resulted in the deficiency cited under N.J.A.C 8:39-17.2 (g).