Failure to Provide Palatable Meals at Safe and Appetizing Temperatures
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that meals were palatable and served at an appetizing temperature for all six residents reviewed, with the potential to affect all 128 residents in the facility. Multiple residents reported that their meals were consistently or often cold when they were supposed to be hot. One resident stated they ate only what they could tolerate because the food often arrived too cold to enjoy. Another resident reported that room trays sometimes took a long time to reach the rooms, and others stated their meals were often not warm enough or were already cold by the time the tray reached them. One resident described the food as horrible and said they no longer asked to have it warmed up because it had not helped in the past, and another resident reported that meal temperatures were inconsistent, with some meals arriving cold and others not. During observation of a lunch meal tray delivery to one unit, the plates for two of the reviewed residents were noted to be cool to the touch, supporting the residents’ reports of inadequate food temperatures. In interviews, the Dietary District Manager acknowledged being aware of residents’ complaints about cold food served at the facility. The Administrator stated that the facility used plate bases and plate warmers to help keep hall tray meals warm and acknowledged awareness of a problem with food temperatures. These interviews and observations demonstrate that the issue of cold meals was known to facility leadership and dietary management while residents continued to receive meals that were not served at an appetizing temperature.
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