Undercooked Poultry and Improper Hot Food Holding Temperatures
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to ensure food and drink were palatable, attractive, and served at safe and appetizing temperatures. Menu review showed apricot chicken was served on a Wednesday noon meal. Multiple staff members, including an LPN and several CNAs, reported that about one to two weeks prior, residents had been served chicken that was not fully cooked, with meat described as still pink or red and, in one case, “bleeding.” One CNA reported discovering raw chicken thighs while removing meat from the bone for a resident and stated that other plates contained similarly undercooked chicken. Staff reported that some residents received bloody chicken and did not eat it. The Administrator and Dietary Manager later identified the meal as the apricot chicken menu item and stated that when they checked the remaining chicken at kitchen tear-down time, it appeared cooked but contained veins that might have been misinterpreted as blood. In addition to concerns about undercooked chicken, observations during a noon meal service showed that hot foods were not consistently maintained at or above the facility’s required hot-holding and serving temperature of 135°F. Trays for residents in their rooms were assembled using heated plate warmers and transported on two carts. When one staff member checked a tray upon reaching a resident’s room, the meat temperature was 130.7°F and the potatoes were 133°F. Shortly afterward, another cart’s meat temperature was measured at 126°F. These temperatures were below the facility’s policy requirement that all hot food items be cooked to appropriate internal temperatures and held and served at a minimum of 135°F.
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