Food Safety and Hygiene Failures in Kitchen and Meal Service
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves multiple failures in food safety and hygiene practices in the facility’s kitchen and meal service areas, affecting food served to nearly all residents. Surveyors observed several dietary staff and another employee with beards of varying lengths preparing and handling food without wearing required beard restraints, despite facility policy requiring hair restraints to prevent hair from contacting food. One staff member confirmed that beard restraints were not available in the kitchen, and the Dietary Manager acknowledged that employees with facial hair should wear restraints. Additionally, a floor tech entered the kitchen, immediately donned gloves, and began handling prepared breakfast plates without first washing his hands, contrary to facility policies and staff statements that all employees should wash their hands upon entering the kitchen and before handling food. Further observations showed improper handling and storage of food and food-contact equipment. A dietary cook retrieved a food thermometer from a pan containing other utensils, used it to check the temperature of scrambled eggs, then immediately inserted the same uncleaned thermometer into a sausage patty, despite policy requiring food-contact equipment, including thermometers, to be cleaned and sanitized between uses. In the tray line cooling area, surveyors found an open carton of nectar-thickened water past its “best by” date with no opening date, and an opened container of cottage cheese dated well beyond the stated 10-day use period; the Dietitian confirmed all foods should be labeled with open and discard dates, and the Dietary Manager acknowledged these items should have been discarded or used within 10 days. During breakfast tray distribution, staff dropped a tray onto the floor, picked up the items, placed them back on the tray, and then set the soiled tray on top of a cart containing clean meal trays, clean glasses, condiments, and a gallon of milk, which the Dietary Manager confirmed involved placing a dirty tray on a cart with clean items.
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