Unsanitary Food Storage and Handling Practices in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s failure to maintain sanitary conditions for food storage and preparation in the kitchen, placing residents at risk for food-borne illness. During an initial kitchen tour, surveyors observed an uncovered plastic tub of metal spoons on a counter in the dining area at the kitchen entrance and five uncovered blocks of butter in a metal container on the counter. Inside the refrigerator, bowls of spaghetti, milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt were covered with plastic wrap but lacked any open or use-by dates. In the freezer, five cups of pudding, a piece of pie, two packages of shredded cheese, two sheet pans of Jello, and seven sausage links were not labeled or dated. On the spice rack, an open package of brown sugar had no opened-on date, and multiple spice containers (including turmeric, crushed red pepper flakes, and curry powder) had various open and use-by dates, with at least one container of turmeric showing conflicting or unclear dating. A table in the kitchen held six stacks of plates that were not inverted, and a container on the counter held cake decorating gels and colored sugar with open and use-by dates noted, indicating that multiple opened food items were stored in the kitchen. Further observations showed multiple breaches in staff food-handling and hygiene practices. One dietary staff member wore a ball cap without a hair net while in the kitchen. During preparation of pureed foods, the same staff member did not change gloves or perform hand hygiene between tasks or when gloved hands contacted new locations or unclean environments. This staff member also placed a cloth over the blender cap, then repeatedly set the cloth on a counter that had clean and dirty utensils and food debris, and reused the same cloth over multiple blending cycles for the entire pureed meal preparation. The same staff member failed to properly sanitize a food thermometer, using only a paper towel to wipe it off between checking temperatures on three different pureed food items. Another dietary staff member carried a plate of food to a resident with thumbs placed on the eating surface of the plate. Facility leadership and the dietary manager later described expectations for hand hygiene, glove use, hair covering, plate handling, labeling and dating of food, and cleaning and sanitizing of equipment and surfaces, which contrasted with the practices observed by surveyors.
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