Improper Food Storage, Labeling, and Date Marking in Dietary Services
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves failure to store, label, and handle food in accordance with professional standards and the facility’s own date-marking policy. During an initial kitchen tour, surveyors observed dishware, including cups flipped upside down, that were still wet but had been deemed ready for use by the Dietary Manager, who acknowledged they had not been dried correctly and should have remained on a drying rack to air dry. In the dry storage area, an open brownie mix and a package of elbow pasta were found without any dating, and the Dietary Manager confirmed these items should have been labeled with the dates they were opened. In the refrigerators, multiple food items, including a pitcher of lemonade, cranberry sauce, coleslaw, and diced chicken, were not labeled with product names or dates of production or expiration, despite posted signage indicating the requirement to label and date items. Additionally, eleven packages of flour tortillas and a container of an item identified as [NAME] were found past their expiration dates, and the Dietary Manager confirmed expired items should have been removed and discarded. Further observations on a subsequent kitchen tour with the Chef revealed an open, undated egg substitute carton in the refrigerator, which he confirmed should have been dated when opened. The Chef also acknowledged awareness of a resident’s complaint about a hot dog bun with green-gray discoloration, consistent with mold, and stated that the kitchen had been contacted during service and the meal was remade, noting ongoing difficulty balancing bread stock due to limited freezer space. In the freezer, an open, undated ravioli package and a box of hamburger patties left open to the air and undated were identified, and the Dietary Manager confirmed these items should have been dated and stored in closed containers per facility policy. Review of the facility’s “Date Marking” policy showed that foods are required to be date marked with the product name and date of production or opening, with discard dates determined by a reference list, and the Dietary Manager confirmed that practice and policy require all stored items to be covered or containerized, labeled, and dated.
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