Failure to Follow Food Safety and Hand Hygiene Protocols in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure proper food handling and hygiene practices in the kitchen, as observed with one dietary assistant during meal preparation. The dietary assistant was seen touching her shirt, hair, and face, and then proceeded to handle bowls of cereal without washing or sanitizing her hands. She acknowledged during an interview that she did not wash her hands after touching potentially contaminated surfaces and understood that this could transfer germs or bacteria to the food. The dietary assistant also confirmed she had received in-service training on hand hygiene but could not recall when it occurred. Additionally, the same dietary assistant used a dish rag, which was found on top of mop heads and had visible holes and stains, to remove a hot pan of bacon from the oven. The dish rag came into direct contact with the bacon, and the assistant admitted she did not know if the rag had been used for cleaning elsewhere in the kitchen. She stated she was expected to use an oven mitt or potholder for this task and recognized that the rag was not appropriate for food handling. Another dietary staff member and the dietary manager both confirmed that the bacon and cereal were considered contaminated and should have been discarded. Interviews with the dietary manager and administrator confirmed that staff were required to wash or sanitize hands after touching their clothes, hair, or changing tasks, and that only oven mitts or potholders should be used to handle hot food. Both acknowledged that food touched by contaminated hands or items should be discarded. Record review showed that staff had been in-serviced on hand hygiene and safe food handling practices, but lapses in compliance were observed during the survey.