Unsanitary Food Storage and Preparation Practices
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that food was stored, prepared, and served in a sanitary manner, as evidenced by multiple observations of unsanitary conditions in the kitchen. During a general tour after the morning meal, surveyors observed food crumbs and dried food on the steam table, serving bowls, and lids. The stove area had leftover breakfast debris, and the steam table was prepped for lunch service with visible remnants from the previous meal. Kitchen carts used for food transport were found with crumbs, dried food, and liquid spillage, including a dried brown fluid on a plastic cover. The floor in front of the stove and steam table was littered with smashed food and debris. In the food storage room, a box of potatoes was sitting directly on the floor with holes in the box, exposing the potatoes to the floor surface. Further observations revealed that food debris from previous meals remained on serving equipment, and a personal soda bottle was found in the food serving area. Interviews with the Dietary Manager and Cook confirmed that the kitchen was supposed to be cleaned between meals and that food should not be stored on the floor. The staff acknowledged that the required cleaning had not been performed and that personal beverages should not be present in the food service area. These findings demonstrate a failure to follow the facility's sanitation policy and professional standards for food safety.