F0803

E

Failure to Follow Standardized Recipes and Portion Sizes for Lunch Meal Service

Lamesa, Texas Survey Completed on 01-07-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to ensure menus and standardized recipes were followed and correct portion sizes were served during a lunch meal. On the reviewed lunch service, the dietary manager serving the meal used a plastic pasta utensil for spaghetti noodles, plastic tongs for tossed salad, and a rubber spoon for marinara sauce, none of which had marked serving sizes. The dietary manager stated she did not know the portion sizes of any of these utensils and acknowledged that the salad portions she served were barely a full serving or probably less than a serving. She reported that she assumed she was giving correct portion sizes despite the lack of portion markings and that she did not prepare the food for the meal herself.

During the same lunch meal, the kitchen ran out of meat marinara sauce before all residents were served, and 9 residents received only plain marinara sauce instead of meat marinara sauce. Observation of the pantry showed one can of marinara sauce labeled as containing 105 ounces. The facility’s diet spreadsheet indicated that residents should receive a #8 scoop (½ cup) of spaghetti noodles, a 6‑oz ladle (¾ cup) of meat marinara sauce, and two #8 scoops (1 cup) of tossed salad. The facility’s standardized recipe for Marinara Meat Sauce specified a suggested portion of a 6‑oz ladle for 50 servings, using 9 lbs of ground beef and one gallon plus 2⅜ quarts of marinara sauce.

The dietary aide who prepared the meat marinara sauce stated he cooked a whole 10‑lb roll of meat and used one can of marinara sauce, and admitted he did not follow the facility recipe, instead preparing the sauce as he would at home. He acknowledged that sometimes recipes are used and sometimes they are not. Facility policies titled “Adherence to Standardized Recipes” and “Preparation of Foods” required that all meals be prepared in accordance with approved standardized recipes, that recipes not be altered without approval, and that recipes and cooking instructions be followed. Despite these policies and the dietary manager’s documented completion of food handler and food manager training, the meal was not prepared or portioned according to the facility’s standardized recipes and portion guidelines, resulting in incorrect portions and some residents not receiving the planned meat marinara sauce.