Expired and Unlabeled Food Items Found in Kitchen and Storage
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple food items in the facility's kitchen and storage areas that were past their expiration or use-by dates. Specifically, an unopened bag of crumbled sausage, a container of strawberry glaze, a bottle of chocolate fudge, several bags of cookie pieces, and boxes of cornstarch were all found with expiration dates that had already passed. Additionally, an opened bag of tortilla chips lacked an open date, and several cartons of eggs in the refrigerator were also expired. The Dietary Manager acknowledged the presence of expired food and confirmed that such items should not have been kept. Further observations revealed a container labeled 'Manwich' in the refrigerator without a date indicating when it was placed or opened, as well as two large open containers of coleslaw and Italian dressing that were missing open dates. The facility's policy requires that cans and dried goods be dated with both the date received and the date opened. At the time of the survey, there were 73 residents in the facility, and the failure to properly discard expired food and label opened items was directly observed by surveyors.