Failure to Serve Food at Appropriate Temperatures
Penalty
Summary
During a complaint survey, an observation was made of the lunch meal service on the 100 Hall, where the last meal tray was tested for food temperatures by the Director of Operations for the Healthcare Services Group. The recorded temperatures were as follows: ham and pinto beans at 140.0°F, pan-fried potatoes at 112.2°F, mixed vegetables at 123.0°F, and banana pudding at 72.1°F. The Director of Operations confirmed that the temperatures of the pan-fried potatoes and banana pudding did not meet the appropriate desired standards for serving, with hot foods expected to be at or above 120°F and cold foods at or below 40°F at the point of delivery to residents. This failure to ensure that food was served at appetizing and safe temperatures was identified for one hallway but had the potential to affect more than an isolated number of residents, with a facility census of 109 at the time of the survey.