Failure to Maintain Sanitary and Properly Labeled Unit Refrigerator Food
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain the unit refrigerator used for resident food in a sanitary manner consistent with its policy and acceptable food safety standards. During an observation with an LPN, surveyors found an opened bottle of Amish orange juice that was undated, an undated and unlabeled tub of tuna salad, an undated and unlabeled tub of egg salad, and a black Styrofoam container labeled only with a date and a resident’s last name. The LPN confirmed at the time of observation that these items were unlabeled and undated and stated that housekeeping staff were responsible for maintaining this refrigerator. The Housekeeping and Laundry Supervisor reported that the egg salad and tuna salad were from the previous weekend and acknowledged they should have been removed before the observation. The supervisor explained that housekeeping staff were expected to check the refrigerator daily when recording temperatures and to review the food inside at that time. However, the Storage Room Temperature Log used for documenting refrigerator and freezer temperatures contained no guidance or sign-off section for checking food items for labels, dates, or for discarding expired or unlabeled food. The DON confirmed that two residents were NPO and therefore did not use the unit refrigerator. Review of the facility’s “Food Receiving and Storage” policy showed that all foods stored in the refrigerator or freezer were required to be covered, labeled, and dated, and that food storage areas were to be kept clean at all times.
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