Failure to Properly Label and Date Opened Food Items in Dietary Department
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that food was stored, prepared, distributed, and served in accordance with professional standards for food service safety. During a tour of the dietary department, surveyors observed multiple food items that had been opened but were not properly labeled with both an open date and a use by date, as required by the facility's Food Storage Policy. Specifically, bags of frozen green beans and carrots, a pack of frozen hamburgers, a gallon of milk, a container of Italian dressing, and a container of soy sauce were all found either missing a use by date or, in the case of the soy sauce, missing both an open date and a use by date. The Food Service Director confirmed during the tour that all food items should display both the date they were opened and a use by date, in accordance with facility policy. The lack of proper labeling and dating of these food items constituted a failure to follow established procedures for food safety and storage, as outlined in the facility's own policy and professional standards.