Unsanitary Food Handling and Improper Storage of Dented Cans
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves failure to ensure food was prepared and served under safe and sanitary conditions, including improper hand hygiene and food handling during meal service. During a lunch observation, a CNA moved two male residents in their wheelchairs and then immediately handled a resident’s wrapped bread, unwrapping it and touching the bread with bare hands without performing hand hygiene in between. The CNA later acknowledged she did not perform hand hygiene and should not have touched the bread with bare hands. Additional observations during the same lunch period showed dietary staff engaging in multiple unsanitary practices: one dietary employee pulled her hairnet down below her ears and touched her cheeks while waiting for a tray, another dietary employee repeatedly touched the inside food-contact surfaces of bowls with his fingers while plating food, and the Assistant Dietary Manager used his bare fingers to arrange chicken pieces on a plate and placed the food-contact side of plastic bowl covers against his shirt to separate them. Another dietary employee bit around her fingernail and then handled the food-contact portion of plastic bowl covers without hand hygiene, and used a fork and bare fingers to remove the skin from a baked potato. The Dietary Manager later confirmed these actions were inconsistent with facility policies prohibiting bare-hand contact with food and requiring proper handwashing. The deficiency also includes failure to properly manage dented canned goods in dry storage. During a kitchen observation, surveyors found a can of sliced apples with a dent on the top seal, a can of peas and diced carrots with a dented seal, and a can of cheddar cheese with a dented bottom seal, all with recent intake dates. The Dietary Manager stated these dented cans should have been removed from regular storage and placed on an upper shelf for supplier credit, and signage was posted instructing staff what to look for regarding canned food. Facility policies in effect at the time required staff not to touch food with bare hands, to follow approved handwashing procedures, and to treat cans with dents over side or end seams as unsafe. A resident interview corroborated concerns about hygiene practices during meal service, with the resident reporting having seen staff touch or rub their face and arms without washing their hands afterward.
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