Failure to Properly Date and Discard Food Items in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to store, prepare, distribute, and serve food in accordance with professional standards for food service safety. During an initial kitchen tour, food items such as fish fillets and pancakes were found removed from their original packaging and lacked any use by, expiration, or open dates. Additionally, boxes of beef and chicken bouillon in dry storage did not have expiration dates, and an opened container of onion powder was found to be expired. The Dietary Manager confirmed these items were not properly dated and that the expired seasoning should have been discarded. Interviews with the Nursing Home Administrator and the Vice President of Health Services confirmed that their expectation was for all food to be labeled and discarded appropriately. The failure to date and properly manage food items was observed to have the potential to affect all 34 residents in the facility. No specific residents were identified as being directly affected at the time of the survey.