Failure to Properly Label, Date, and Seal Food Items in Dietary Services
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that dietary staff failed to consistently label and date all food items in the kitchen's refrigerators and freezer. Specific findings included a gallon of premade orange juice without a label or expiration date, sliced cheese and cream cheese with open dates but no expiration dates, and multiple gallons of condiments and containers of fruit with missing expiration dates. In the walk-in freezer, several items such as hamburger patties, garlic biscuits, frozen turkey meat, chicken thighs, dinner rolls, precooked hamburger patties, pepperoni, and fish patties were found either unsealed, not placed in appropriate containers, or lacking labels and expiration dates. These observations were made during walkthroughs with the Dietary Manager. Interviews with the Dietary Manager and Administrator confirmed that facility policy requires all refrigerated and frozen food items to be labeled with receive, open, and expiration dates, and to be properly sealed. Both acknowledged that these procedures were not consistently followed, as evidenced by the survey findings. Record reviews of facility policies further supported the requirement for proper labeling, dating, and sealing of food items to ensure food safety and compliance with professional standards.