Failure to Provide Palatable, Properly Prepared and Tempered Meals
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure food and drink were palatable, attractive, and served at safe and appetizing temperatures for its 64 residents. Food Committee Meeting Minutes documented ongoing concerns, including broccoli soup that tasted scorched and was not mixed well, tomato soup that was watered down, and general dissatisfaction with evening meals, which were described as not good. Multiple cognitively intact residents reported that food was often cold, inedible, and difficult to identify. One resident stated that while the meal on the day of observation looked and tasted good, this was a welcome surprise because the food was usually awful, cold, and sometimes unrecognizable. Another resident described the food as atrocious, reporting soggy french fries, burned food with black crust, dry and leathery chicken, dried-out bread, pasta that was either mushy or crunchy, and meals that were cold and unappealing, even when ordered from the alternative menu. This resident also reported being told that chocolate milk was a luxury and too extravagant and expensive to provide. A third resident reported a major problem with the kitchen not serving hot, appetizing, and tasty meals, and provided photographs of severely burned garlic toast with one side white and the other side entirely black with a thick layer of butter, a ground red ball of food identified as lasagna with only one visible noodle piece, and a supposed chicken pot pie served as mixed vegetables in gravy on a plate without any crust. During a test tray observation, a manager in training recorded food temperatures showing mixed vegetables at 110–125 degrees and used bare hands to push the vegetables together in an attempt to increase their temperature, stating they were not at the right temperature and felt cold. The Certified Dietary Manager reported multiple resident complaints of overcooked, unappealing, and cold food, along with significant staffing turnover and kitchen concerns prior to her arrival.
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