F0812

E

Unsanitary Kitchen Conditions and Improper Handling of Drinkware During Meal Service

Elkhart, Indiana Survey Completed on 02-24-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

Surveyors identified that the facility failed to maintain sanitary conditions in the kitchen and main dining hall. During a kitchen tour with the Dietary Manager, a two-door upright freezer was observed with a thick black substance on the rubber seal and adjacent stainless steel, which the Dietary Manager identified as mildew. In the walk-in cooler, a container of concentrated beef broth base was found with a best-by date of 12/2025, and the Dietary Manager acknowledged it should have been discarded in January. The freezer also contained four house-made shakes that were unlabeled and undated, contrary to facility policy requiring opened and prepared foods to be labeled and dated. Additionally, a large area of dark brown substance, identified by the Dietary Manager as grease, was observed on the side of the stovetop and oven, indicating that kitchen equipment was not kept clean as required by the facility’s kitchen cleanliness policy.

During a lunch meal observation in the main dining hall, a CNA was seen handling drinkware in a manner that did not prevent contamination of food contact surfaces. The CNA cupped her hand over a plastic cup of water, touching the rim where a resident would drink, and similarly placed her fingers on the drinking area of a coffee cup before serving it to the same resident. She also put her fingers inside a resident’s coffee cup before pouring coffee and again placed her hands on the rim of another cup of water while serving it. These actions conflicted with the facility’s meal service and distribution policy, which requires utensils, cups, glasses, and dishes to be handled in a way that avoids touching any food contact surface. The Dietary Manager later confirmed that the correct method of serving drinks is to hold the bottom of the cup and keep fingers away from the drinking surface.