F0812

E

Food Storage, Labeling, and Sanitation Deficiencies in Dietary Services

Rensselaer, New York Survey Completed on 02-25-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

Surveyors identified that the facility failed to store and prepare food in accordance with professional standards and its own Food Receiving and Storage policy. During kitchen tours, one of four thermometers tested in an ice water bath was found out of calibration, reading 37°F instead of the acceptable 32°F. In the walk-in refrigerator, open bags of pepperoni and hot dogs were found without dates, and in the walk-in freezer, open bags of chicken, green beans, sausage patties, and egg patties were also undated. In dry storage, eight bags of English muffins labeled by the manufacturer to be stored frozen were found on shelves instead of in the freezer; all were undated and four bags had visible mold. In second floor kitchenettes, multiple bowls of dry cereal were stored in cabinets without any dates or times labeled.

Additional observations showed potential for contamination of food products and improper storage of non-food items in food service areas. Two of five kitchen staff working in the food preparation area were not wearing required hair protection. A bottle of drain cleaner was found improperly stored in the food service area, and clean/dry rags were stored at floor level in an overfilled small garbage can. The facility’s undated Food Receiving and Storage policy requires that all food stored in refrigerators or freezers be covered, labeled, and dated, but the Food Service Director acknowledged awareness that the unlabeled food in the walk-in refrigerator, freezer, and unit kitchenettes should have been dated and was unable to explain why it was not. The Food Service Director also stated they were unaware that the English muffins were required to remain frozen and that someone else must have unpacked them.