F0812

F

Failure to Maintain Safe Food Handling, Temperature Monitoring, and Storage Practices

Cahokia, Illinois Survey Completed on 02-25-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to follow proper sanitation, food handling, and food storage practices in the dietary department, affecting the safe procurement, preparation, and service of food for all 84 residents. During a kitchen observation with the Dietary Manager, a cook was seen removing meatloaf, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and pineapple upside-down cake from the oven to the steam table, with review of the temperature logbook showing no food temperatures documented since 1/30/26. The cook stated that temperatures were taken but not written down. The stand-up refrigerator showed an internal digital temperature of 41°F, but the walk-in refrigerator and walk-in freezer had no thermometers or external temperature readings available, preventing verification of their temperatures. In the walk-in refrigerator, uncovered and unlabeled cups of fruit were observed on a tray, and in the freezer, an open bag containing crackers and an unlabeled container of dip, apparently brought from an outside facility, were found. The Dietary Manager stated thermometers had been present but was unsure what happened to them and reported being unaware that temperatures were not being documented, though she expected staff to document temperatures with each meal.

Further observations showed that a cook checked food temperatures with a digital thermometer but did not calibrate it before use, only wiping it with an alcohol pad before proceeding. A substitute fish entrée was placed on the steam table by another cook without any temperature check, and the first plated meal was served without rechecking food temperatures. The cook was seen using a utensil to serve food and then using his other hand to adjust food on the plate, and a second pan of meatloaf was later placed on the steam table with no temperature check before plating. Review of the Dietary Food Temperature Logs showed incomplete documentation, with missing entries on specific days in January and no entries at all from 1/31/26 through 2/23/26. Refrigerator temperature logs did not specify which refrigerator they referred to and had missing months, including no checks for November and February, and freezer temperature logs lacked entries for February. The Administrator stated an expectation that dietary staff check and document food temperatures for each meal, maintain a clean and sanitary kitchen, and properly label and store foods. Facility policies required thorough cooking with properly calibrated thermometers, serving meals in a sanitary environment with proper food handling, and storing food at appropriate temperatures with labeling, covering, and regular temperature checks, including never leaving food uncovered and unlabeled and placing thermometers in the warmest part of refrigerators and checking freezer temperatures regularly.