Failure to Properly Label and Monitor Expiration of Thickened Liquids
Penalty
Summary
Staff failed to properly label food items with open dates and did not demonstrate knowledge regarding the expiration of packaged foods. During an observation of food storage, several opened cartons of nectar thickened beverages were found in a reach-in cooler, each with only a handwritten date indicating when the product was received into inventory, not when it was opened. The Dietary Manager confirmed that no other date was written to indicate the opening of the product and believed the product was safe to consume until the manufacturer’s stamped date. However, the cartons were labeled to be used within seven days of opening if refrigerated, a fact the Dietary Manager was unaware of. This deficiency affected a resident with impaired cognition and multiple diagnoses, who was the only individual in the facility on thickened liquids. Review of facility training records showed that dietary staff, including the Dietary Manager, had been educated on expired food disposal and labeling and dating foods, but the facility’s policy did not provide guidance on dating food items with multiple servings in original containers. The lack of proper labeling and staff knowledge led to the failure to ensure food safety standards were met for the resident requiring thickened liquids.