Failure to Label Opened Food Containers and Maintain Kitchen Cleanliness
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to ensure that opened containers of beverages, including orange drink, grape juice, prune juice, and thickened lemon water, stored in the reach-in refrigerator were properly labeled with the date they were opened. Additionally, the top of the oven was found to be covered with debris, and the walls above the oven were coated with a sticky brown substance. Facility policies required that opened packaged foods be dated and that the oven and surrounding walls be cleaned weekly. During interviews, a dietary aide confirmed that opened items should be labeled, while the dietary manager, who was new, was unaware of the labeling requirement and acknowledged that the oven and its surrounding area should be thoroughly cleaned. The Director of Nursing identified that 65 residents received meals prepared in the kitchen where these deficiencies were observed.