Improper Food Thermometer Sanitization During Meal Service
Penalty
No penalty information released
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Summary
A staff member checked the temperatures of multiple lunch food items, including pork, beef, German potato salad, peas, ground meats, and soup, by wiping the thermometer on a dry rag between each item instead of using alcohol wipes. The dry rag was resting on the steam table counter. The staff member confirmed that she typically used alcohol wipes but could not find them at the time. The chef also confirmed that alcohol wipes should have been used to clean the thermometer between checking each food item. Facility policy indicated that staff should be aware of sources of food-borne organisms, including contaminated equipment and cross contamination.