F0812

E

Food Service Sanitation, Labeling, and Temperature Monitoring Deficiencies

Mcalester, Oklahoma Survey Completed on 12-31-2025

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

Surveyors identified multiple failures in the facility’s food service operations affecting 37 residents who received nutrition from the kitchen. In the kitchen refrigerator, they observed a container of prepared coleslaw and a container of cottage cheese that remained in storage past the manufacturer’s use-by dates, as well as two unlabeled plastic pitchers containing juice-like liquids without any preparation or use-by dates. Review of the Daily Refrigerator and Freezer Temperature Log for December showed missing temperature documentation for two consecutive days. Six chest freezers containing frozen food items were observed without visible thermometers inside. The dietary manager acknowledged that thermometers had been ordered and that staff had not been checking freezer temperatures because there were no thermometers present.

Surveyors also observed environmental and procedural deficiencies in food preparation and storage. The food preparation area between the stove, steam table, and counters had missing floor tiles, and the dry food storage area floor had rough surfaces with debris and a buildup of dark matter. Two cardboard boxes of apple juice drink blend were stored directly on the floor under shelving in the dry storage room. During a lunch meal preparation observation, a cook prepared food without checking or documenting final cooking temperatures, and later stated they did not know they were supposed to check temperatures when food was finished cooking. The dietary manager stated there was no process or log in place for cooked and served food temperatures, while existing facility policies required refrigerated food to be covered, dated, and labeled, and required use of a meat thermometer to check internal temperatures.