Failure to Properly Label, Date, and Store Food Items
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that food items stored in the freezer, refrigerators, and dry food storage areas were properly sealed, labeled, and dated according to facility policy and professional standards. During observations, surveyors found several food items, including a bag of self-rising corn meal and a box of lasagna noodles in dry storage, that were opened but not labeled with an open or use by date, and the noodles were not properly sealed. In the walk-in cooler, a container of dill pickle chips and a container of ham base were found with either expired or illegible dates. In the walk-in freezer, open bags of churros were not properly sealed or labeled, and a bag of meatballs was found with an open date and use by date that had passed. Interviews with the Dietary Manager and Administrator confirmed that it is the facility's expectation that expired foods are discarded and that all opened foods in storage should be dated. However, the Administrator acknowledged that sometimes items are mislabeled with dates that exceed the required timeframe. These findings indicate that the facility did not consistently follow its own policies regarding food safety, labeling, and storage, which had the potential to affect all residents receiving meals from the kitchen.