F0812

E

Improper Food Storage, Sanitation, and Cold Holding Temperatures During Meal Service

Monterey Park, California Survey Completed on 02-26-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

Surveyors identified deficiencies in food safety and sanitation practices related to food storage and handling in a conference room being used as a temporary food service area. During observation of the conference room refrigerator, one prepared turkey sandwich was found with a use-by date of 2/22/26–2/23/26 that had not been discarded after expiration. The Dietary Supervisor (DS) stated that sandwiches were prepared the day before, served the next day, and discarded if not used by the labeled date, and acknowledged that the sandwich in the refrigerator was expired and should have been discarded. Facility policy and the 2022 FDA Food Code require ready-to-eat, time/temperature control for safety (TCS) foods to be labeled, dated, monitored, and used, frozen, or discarded by the use-by date.

Additional deficiencies were observed in hygienic practices and surface sanitation in the same conference room tray line area. There were no hair nets readily available in the conference room, even though it was being used as a temporary food serving area. The DS stated that staff wore hair nets from the basement kitchen but confirmed that hair nets should be readily available in the conference room to prevent hair from contacting food. A staff member was observed wiping food contact surfaces with a kitchen towel and then placing the towel on the counter instead of storing it in a sanitizer solution between uses. The staff member stated that kitchen towels should be stored in sanitizer solution when not in use and that there was no sanitizer solution available in the conference room. The DS confirmed that a sanitizer solution bucket should have been present and that there were no sanitizer test strips in the conference room to verify sanitizer effectiveness, despite facility policy and FDA Food Code requirements for wiping cloths to be held in appropriate sanitizer solution.

Surveyors also found improper cold holding temperatures for TCS beverages during lunch service in the conference room. Using the facility’s thermometer, the temperature of milk held for cold storage and served during lunch was measured at 52.5°F, above the required 41°F or below. The dietary aide reported that beverages were stored in the kitchen freezer to make them very cold before being brought to the conference room, and the DS stated that the conference room became warm during meal service, causing cold beverage temperatures not to remain at or below 41°F. The DS also stated there was no ice available in the conference room to keep beverages cold before service. Facility policy and the 2022 FDA Food Code require monitoring and maintaining proper hot and cold holding temperatures for TCS foods and beverages to keep them out of the danger zone.