Food Service Sanitation and Menu Posting Deficiencies in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified that the facility failed to store, prepare, distribute, and serve food in accordance with professional standards in the main kitchen. On observation, the posted menu in the dining area reflected an outdated week rather than the current week, and a resident reported that the menu had not been correctly posted for approximately one to two weeks, leaving her unaware of daily and weekly meal offerings. The Dietary Manager stated she was responsible for updating the menu every Monday but had been off on the most recent Monday and had no designated backup to update the menu in her absence. The Administrator confirmed that the posted menu was expected to be current so residents would know what they would eat. Additional observations in the kitchen prep area showed environmental sanitation issues and failure to follow recipes. Surveyors observed a wall above an uncovered pan of rice coated with grey dust and debris, and a storage/seasoning rack coated with dust and yellow/brown sticky residue. The Dietary Manager acknowledged she could not recall the last time the wall or rack had been cleaned and that there was no set cleaning schedule, despite her responsibility for ensuring the kitchen was clean and sanitary and for notifying maintenance to clean high walls. The Maintenance Regional Supervisor stated that maintenance staff were responsible for cleaning high ceiling walls and that the wall and rack should have been free of dust and residue. Surveyors also observed stewed okra being prepared without tomatoes or onions, contrary to the written recipe that required diced tomatoes, okra, chopped onions, sugar, and black pepper. The cook reported she did not follow the recipe because many residents did not like tomatoes and that she added tomato sauce, white vinegar, sausage, and seasonings instead, following direction from the Dietary Manager, who admitted she had instructed the cook to add sausage and acknowledged the recipe was not followed.
We Help Long-Term Care Teams Stay Survey-Ready
We process and analyze inspection reports and plan of correction using AI to extract insights and trends so providers can improve care quality and stay ahead of compliance risks.