Unsanitary Kitchen and Food Storage Conditions
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency related to the facility’s failure to maintain the kitchen in a clean and sanitary condition in accordance with its own food storage and kitchen cleaning policies. The facility’s policies required food to be stored in clean, dry areas free of contaminants, with appropriate methods to ensure food safety, and called for regular defrosting of freezers as part of general and deep cleaning. During an observation of the kitchen, surveyors noted grease on the floor around the stove, an open dry storage room window covered with dirt, dust, and debris, and a freezer with dirt and debris on the door compartments and shelves, as well as a thick sheet of ice on the bottom. A subsequent observation showed that the dry storage room window remained open and dirty, and that multiple refrigerators and freezers used to store resident food contained dirt, food debris, and ice buildup. Further observations showed that dishes and food-contact items were stored in a manner that allowed contamination. Multiple blue bowls and white saucers were stored face up on a dish storage rack beneath a dusty ceiling, with visible dust inside the dishes. The freezer next to the dish storage rack had dirt and debris on the shelves and sides, and its bottom shelf still had a sheet of ice. Two metal pipes covered with dust and dirt hung over a prep table holding a food processor and microwave, and the top of the steam table and a shelf above the mixer were covered with thick dust and a sticky substance. An electrical cord covered in dust hung above a prep table containing silverware and glasses, and the wall behind the mixer had food splatter and dust. The Dietary Manager, Registered Dietitian, and Administrator each stated they expected the kitchen, including refrigerators and freezers, to be clean and sanitary, with freezers defrosted at least every six months (per DM and RD) or monthly (per Administrator), and dishes stored to prevent contamination, and confirmed that dietary staff and the Dietary Manager were responsible for cleaning and sanitation. The facility census at the time was 34 residents, and all kitchen refrigerators and freezers, including one in the back dining room, were used to store resident food.
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