Failure to Label Food Products with Discard Dates in Kitchen Refrigerator
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to label food products in the kitchen refrigerator with discard dates, as required by professional food service standards. During observations, all packaged foods in the fridge were found to have only preparation dates and lacked discard dates. Interviews with the Certified Dietary Manager (CDM) and Registered Dietitian (RD) revealed that they did not believe it was necessary to include discard dates on food labels, relying instead on staff knowledge to discard food after three days. However, the facility's policy required all refrigerated foods to be dated, labeled, and used within 72 hours, and the FDA Food Code 2022 mandates clear marking of ready-to-eat, time/temperature control for safety foods with the date by which the food should be consumed, sold, or discarded. Further interviews confirmed that kitchen staff did not routinely write discard dates on food products, as they were accustomed to discarding items after 72 hours based on training. The RD acknowledged that their policies had not been updated to reflect the 2022 FDA Food Code changes and agreed that including discard dates would help staff quickly identify when to discard food. The lack of discard dates on food products in the refrigerator constituted a failure to store, prepare, distribute, and serve food in accordance with professional standards for food service safety.