Improper Labeling and Storage of Resident Food Brought from Outside
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that leftover food brought in by residents' families and visitors was properly labeled with a resident identifier and use-by date before being stored in the resident refrigerator. During an observation with the Administrator in Training (AIT), two plastic bags containing undetermined leftover food were found in the residents' refrigerator at the nurse's station without any labeling or resident identification. The AIT confirmed that the refrigerator is used for storing residents' food and acknowledged that all leftover food should be labeled with an identifier and date. The facility's policy requires perishable foods to be stored in resealable containers with tightly fitting lids, labeled with the resident's name, the item, and the use-by date, and specifies that nursing staff are responsible for discarding perishable foods on or before the use-by date. However, the observed practice did not comply with this policy.