Improper Food Storage and Hand Hygiene Practices in Dietary Services
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified deficiencies in food storage and hand hygiene practices in the facility’s dietary services. During a kitchen observation, multiple opened bags of frozen food items, including cauliflower, mixed vegetables, breadsticks, fries, cinnamon rolls, and breakfast pastries, were found loose and undated, with several bags having chunks of ice stuck to them. An opened and undated bag of corn and another bag of fries were also noted. No thermometer was present in the freezer, despite policy requiring one. In the refrigerator, an unlabeled green lunch bag containing two bottles of soda and ice packs, and a separate plastic grocery bag containing an unlabeled bottle of water and a Tupperware container with food, were found mixed with resident food; the district manager confirmed these appeared to be personal items and that employees should not store personal food in the kitchen refrigerator with resident food. A container of applesauce was found on the bottom of the refrigerator instead of in dry storage with an open box of applesauce containers, and a large container of sugar in dry storage was uncovered and unsealed. Facility policies required that all dry, refrigerated, and frozen items be labeled and dated, stored wrapped or covered, and that freezer temperatures be maintained at or below 0°F with an accurate thermometer in place. Additional observations showed a failure to follow proper hand hygiene during food service. A dietary staff member used gloved hands and tongs to remove burgers from a foil-lined cooking sheet and place them on the steam table, then, without changing gloves or performing hand hygiene, wrapped the greasy foil, pulled out the trash can, and discarded the foil. With the same gloves, the staff member handled all the meal tickets, sorted them for residents in the dining room, and went in and out of the kitchen to the dining room twice while handling these tickets, still without changing gloves or washing hands. The staff member then began working on the tray line and prepared three resident plates while still wearing the same gloves. Facility policy on hand washing specified that gloves are not a substitute for handwashing and that staff must wash hands before working with food or utensils, before putting on gloves, after handling soiled equipment or utensils, and when changing tasks. These deficiencies had the potential to affect all residents except two who were identified as NPO (no oral intake).
We Help Long-Term Care Teams Stay Survey-Ready
We process and analyze inspection reports and plan of correction using AI to extract insights and trends so providers can improve care quality and stay ahead of compliance risks.