Expired Food Items Found in Kitchen Storage
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to properly store, prepare, distribute, and serve food in accordance with professional standards for food service safety. During a kitchen inspection, multiple perishable food items were found past their use-by or expiration dates, including a bag of white bread, tortillas, buns, and several bottles of mayonnaise. These items were located in the dry storage pantry and walk-in refrigerator, indicating a lapse in the facility's food storage and monitoring practices. Interviews with staff, including dietary staff, the DON, and the administrator, confirmed that all were aware of the policy requiring expired foods to be discarded immediately and that food items should be labeled with expiration dates. Staff described a check-off system and daily checks for expired foods, but the presence of expired items demonstrated that these procedures were not effectively implemented. Review of the facility's policy further supported that supervisors were responsible for ensuring expired foods were not present in storage areas.