F0812

E

Expired Food Storage, Poor Hand Hygiene, and Dirty Air Vents in Kitchen Tray Line Area

Canton, North Carolina Survey Completed on 01-08-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

Surveyors identified deficiencies in food storage and kitchen sanitation practices. In the walk-in refrigerator, an opened 1-gallon container of soy sauce was observed on a top shelf with a written date range of 6/11–12/11. The Dietary Manager stated that the soy sauce had been opened on 6/11/25 and that its useful date range was 6 months after opening, meaning it should have been disposed of after 12/11/25. The Administrator later confirmed that food stored past its usable date should have been discarded.

During tray line service, surveyors observed a kitchen staff member remove his hat and rub his hair with bare hands, then fail to wash his hands before donning gloves. The same staff member left the kitchen wearing gloves, entered the dining room, and returned to the kitchen without handwashing, then proceeded to plate hot tray liners into plate covers and onto trays, and handle covered dessert containers. Additionally, an air vent located directly above the tray line was observed to be covered in thick, clumpy, grayish debris. The Dietary Manager acknowledged that the staff member should have washed his hands after touching his hair and each time he entered the kitchen and changed gloves, and stated that kitchen air vents were supposed to be cleaned every 3 to 4 months but did not know when they were last cleaned.