Deficient Food Storage and Equipment Sanitation in Dietary Services
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure proper food storage and maintenance of kitchen equipment in accordance with professional standards for food safety, affecting all 93 residents who consumed facility-prepared meals. During an initial kitchen tour, surveyors observed four large sheet pans stored on the clean rack with dark brown buildup on their raised rims. The Dietary Supervisor confirmed the pans were not properly cleaned and acknowledged that this was unacceptable, as it could expose residents to foodborne illness. Dietary staff interviews further confirmed that improper cleaning of pans could result in old food particles contaminating meals, and that the dishwashing process was intended to remove all food residue, but expectations were not met in this instance. Additionally, a food item (pie) was found in the freezer with an open date but missing a use-by or expiration date. The Dietary Supervisor confirmed the pie was leftover from a recent event and acknowledged it should have been labeled with a use-by date. Staff interviews indicated that all food items were required to be labeled with open, preparation, use-by, and expiration dates to ensure safety, but this procedure was not followed for the pie. The Assistant Director of Nursing also confirmed that improper labeling of food items could result in foodborne illness. Review of the facility's policies and procedures revealed requirements for all utensils, counters, shelves, and equipment to be kept clean and maintained in good repair, and for all food items in storage to be labeled and dated. These policies were not followed, as evidenced by the unclean sheet pans and the improperly labeled pie. The FDA Food Code was also referenced, which requires food-contact surfaces to be clean to sight and touch and free of encrusted grease deposits and other soil accumulations.