Deficient Food Storage, Labeling, and Equipment Maintenance
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to store food and equipment in accordance with professional standards for food service safety in multiple areas, including the main kitchen, walk-in freezer, and two pantries. Observations revealed several open food items such as chips, bread, rolls, and a bowl with a green flaky substance in the main kitchen that were not labeled or dated as required by facility policy. Additional findings included open containers in refrigerators without open dates, and some items with open dates far exceeding the facility's three-day 'use by' policy. There was also evidence of expired food items, such as Thick It with an expiration date that had passed, and thicken coffee packets with expired dates in the pantries. Staff interviews confirmed that all open and prepared foods should be dated and discarded according to policy, but this was not consistently followed. Further deficiencies were noted in the cleanliness and maintenance of equipment and storage areas. The main kitchen had multi-use ovens with heavy white staining and water damage behind the ice machine due to a leaking water line. The walk-in freezer contained a metal shelving unit with brownish-red discoloration and a significant amount of greenish/brown substance on the shelves and floor, with no cleaning schedule in place. The facility's leadership confirmed the expectation for proper dating, discarding of expired foods, and maintenance of clean equipment, but these standards were not met as observed during the survey.