Unsanitary Food Storage and Equipment Maintenance
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple failures in the facility's kitchen regarding the storage, preparation, and serving of food in a safe and sanitary manner. Specifically, a two-slot toaster was found with hardened, black, burned particles resembling bread crumbs on its surface and between its slots and bottom. A knife stored in a wall-mounted rack had a silicone handle that was warped, jagged, and dented. An industrial can opener mounted on a preparation table had a black or dark brown sticky substance on its blade and in the crevices of the feed wheel. Additionally, a plastic container under a preparation table was overcrowded with utensils such as spatulas, scoops, measuring spoons, whisks, ladles, and tongs, preventing proper air drying. Further observations included newly washed muffin pans, baking trays, and baking sheets that were stacked while still wet, with visible burnt surfaces, stains, dents, and deep scratches. The interior of the industrial oven was soiled with a buildup of burnt grease and food particles. These conditions were confirmed during interviews and were not in accordance with the facility's own policy and the 2022 Federal Food Code, which require food-contact surfaces to be clean to sight and touch and equipment to be maintained in good repair. These failures placed 44 residents who received food from the kitchen at risk for foodborne illnesses or illnesses related to contaminated utensils.