Deficient Food Safety and Sanitation Practices in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
Multiple deficiencies were identified in the facility's kitchen regarding food safety and sanitation practices. Observations revealed that the low temperature dishwasher's sanitizing solution was significantly below the manufacturer's recommended level, and expired test strips were being used to check the solution. Despite these findings, dietary staff continued to use the dishwasher and did not notify the Dietary Service Supervisor or switch to manual dishwashing immediately. When manual dishwashing was observed, staff were unsure of the required dwell time for sanitization and had no policy readily available for reference. The Director of Maintenance was unaware of the dishwasher issue at the time of the survey. Additional deficiencies included a primary handwashing sink for dietary staff that had low water flow and did not provide warm water, an issue known to both maintenance and management for an extended period. Expired tortillas and undated food items were found in dry storage, and dirty dishes were observed under a kitchen preparation table near clean dishes. The lid to a large container of dry powder thickener was left open when not in use, and thickened milk in the refrigerator was not dated when prepared. Facility policies required proper labeling, dating, and storage of food, which were not followed in these instances.