Improper Food Storage, Labeling, and Unsanitary Ice Machine
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves failure to properly label, date, store, and discard food items and to maintain a clean and sanitary ice machine. During an initial kitchen observation, surveyors found undated bulk bins of sugar, flour, and cornmeal, as well as an opened and undated bag of submarine sandwich rolls in the dry storage room. In the walk-in cooler, surveyors observed multiple containers of yogurt past their use-by date and a box of lettuce with brown discoloration. The Dietary Manager stated that first and second shift cooks were responsible for labeling and dating food, and dish aides were responsible for checking yogurt use-by dates and discarding them on or before those dates. She also reported that she had asked second shift staff to discard the lettuce two days earlier, and acknowledged it should have been used or discarded before showing signs of spoilage. Surveyors also observed the facility’s ice machine and noted pink and brown substances scattered across the entire baffle inside the machine. The Dietary Manager initially indicated that Maintenance was responsible for cleaning the inside of the ice machine but stated she would expect the machine to be clean. The Administrator later clarified that dietary staff were responsible for cleaning the ice machine itself, while Maintenance was responsible for cleaning the filter. The Administrator stated her expectation that all opened food be labeled and dated and that expired or spoiled food be discarded, and later attributed the presence of expired and undated food to dietary staff feeling overwhelmed during a recent ice storm when some staff had to remain in the facility.
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