F0812

F

Improper Food Storage, Labeling, and Disposal in Kitchen Food Service

Abilene, Texas Survey Completed on 01-30-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s food service operations related to improper storage, labeling, and disposal of food items in the kitchen. During a kitchen observation, they found multiple dry storage items that were not handled according to facility policy and professional standards, including an opened bag of chips in a plastic bag labeled with a use-by date that was 11 days past, an unopened bag of hamburger buns with no received date, use-by date, or item description, and an opened box of flour tortillas with several bags bearing a best-by date that had already passed. The facility’s posted instructions in the kitchen stated that everything must have a label with received date, open date, and use-by date, but these requirements were not consistently followed.

In the refrigerated storage, surveyors observed additional issues, including two cartons of heavy whipping cream with best-by dates that had passed, two bags of corn tortillas with best-by dates that were more than a month past, and an opened bag of shredded white cheese labeled only with a date and no use-by date or item description. They also found an opened container of pimento spread with no received date and an illegible use-by date, an unopened bag of what appeared to be hot dogs with only a handwritten date and no use-by date or item description, and two containers of prepared food (one in a see-through plastic container and one in a metal tin) without preparation dates, use-by dates, or item descriptions. In the freezers, surveyors found an opened bag of what appeared to be french fries that was not sealed and lacked any delivery date, use-by date, or item description, and three unopened bags of what appeared to be garlic toast labeled only with a date and no use-by date or item description.

Interviews with facility and contracted dietary staff confirmed that these practices did not align with the facility’s policies and expectations. The dietary manager stated that all food items stored outside their original containers should have a received date, item description, and, when applicable, a use-by date, and that items should not be stored past their best-by dates. The contracted Director of Operations for dietary services and the dietitian both stated that foods should be labeled with descriptions and expiration or use-by dates when stored outside original packaging and discarded after those dates, and that the dietary manager was responsible for monitoring labeling and storage. The administrator stated that all residents ate from the kitchen, that dietary services were contracted, and that his expectation was that foods be stored, labeled, and discarded per policy. Facility policies on dry goods and cold food storage required that all goods be appropriately date-labeled and that foods be wrapped, covered, or contained within labeled and dated packages or containers, and the FDA Food Code was cited regarding required food labeling and consumption or disposal of refrigerated foods by their expiration date.