Failure to Store and Serve Food in Accordance with Professional Standards
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to store and serve food and beverages in accordance with professional standards for food safety in multiple areas, including the kitchen, a nourishment center, and the creamery. Observations revealed several food items in the walk-in freezer, refrigerator, and dry storage that were open, not securely closed, and lacked date markings. Items such as muffins, marble cake, cheeses, ziti, raisins, granola, cookies, and onions were found either uncovered, not dated, or not properly labeled. Additionally, individually wrapped sugar cookies and a vanilla shake in the nourishment center refrigerator were not dated, and a Styrofoam container of buffalo wings and celery lacked both a resident identifier and a date. Facility policy requires all food items to be labeled with content and date, and for foods to be monitored for use-by dates, but these procedures were not followed as confirmed by staff interviews. In the creamery, a damp towel with brown liquid marks was found under the sink, and the drip shield inside the ice machine contained a black moist substance that could be wiped away, indicating inadequate cleaning. The ice machine's preventive maintenance was overdue, with no documentation of recent service, despite facility policy and manufacturer guidelines requiring bi-annual cleaning. Staff confirmed that the ice machine needed cleaning and that food items should be date marked and labeled. The towel and soiled drip shield remained unaddressed upon re-observation, further demonstrating non-compliance with food safety and sanitation standards.