Failure to Accurately Label and Date Food Items in Food Service Department
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors found that the facility failed to ensure food was stored, prepared, distributed, and served in accordance with professional standards for food service safety. During a tour of the Food Service Department, multiple food items, including eye of round bottom, raw ground beef, and boxes of chicken thighs, were observed to be labeled with the same date as the survey date, rather than the actual date of receipt or preparation. The Food Service Director acknowledged that the original dates had been removed and replaced with the current date specifically due to the survey, and was unable to provide documentation verifying the actual delivery or preparation dates of these items. Further observations revealed that several other food items, such as chicken thighs, jumbo wings, brisket, beef chuck, beef hot dogs, and veal, were not labeled with a received date at all. This failure to accurately label and date food items is contrary to the facility's own policy, which requires all received food products to be clearly marked with the date received and prohibits reliance on distributor dating. The deficiency was confirmed through staff interviews and direct observation, with no evidence provided to support proper food rotation, storage, or safety practices.