Failure to Properly Label, Date, and Discard Food Items
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that food items stored in freezers, refrigerators, and dry storage areas were properly sealed, labeled, and dated, and that expired items were discarded as required by facility policy. During kitchen tours, surveyors observed multiple violations, including flour tortillas, salad mix, cut lettuce, blackberries, and pickles in the dry storage and walk-in cooler that were either past their use-by dates, not labeled with open or use-by dates, or visibly spoiled. In the walk-in freezer and reach-in freezer, items such as frozen corn, sausage, lasagna sheets, and chicken tenders were found without proper labeling or with expired use-by dates. Similar issues were found in the unit kitchen, where thickening agents, brown sugar, and cereals were not properly labeled, sealed, or dated, and some items were well past their best-by dates. Interviews with the Dietary Manager and dietary aide confirmed that the facility's expectations and policies require all food items to be labeled with received, open, and use-by dates, and that expired or spoiled items should be discarded. However, both staff members acknowledged that these procedures were not consistently followed, as evidenced by the presence of expired and improperly labeled food items. The Administrator also stated that her expectation is for food to be stored at proper temperatures and labeled and dated per policy, but acknowledged that oversight was not sufficient to prevent these deficiencies.