Improper Wet Stacking and Inadequate Drying of Dishware After Warewashing
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves failure to store, prepare, distribute, and serve food in accordance with professional standards for food service safety, specifically related to improper drying and storage of dishware. Facility policy on warewashing requires all dishware, serviceware, and utensils to be cleaned, sanitized after each use, air dried, and properly stored, and states that dining services staff must be knowledgeable in proper dish machine processing and handling of sanitized dishware. During observation of dishwashing, a dietary aide removed multiple glass plates, metal plate warmers, and bottom lids from the dishwashing rack while they were still visibly wet and stacked them face up on a cart in separate stacks. Additional wet items were then placed on top of these stacks while still visibly wet. The dietary aide stated he planned to place these wet-stacked items into the plate warmer. The dietary manager acknowledged that the items should be dry before being placed into the warmer and confirmed that wet stacking was occurring. The aide then moved the items to a drying rack but left them stacked together while still wet. Later, when the kitchen manager separated a section of the previously wet-stacked plates, both the surveyor and the kitchen manager observed visible condensation remaining on the plates, and the kitchen manager confirmed that dishes are not able to air dry properly when stacked. The kitchen manager reported that the dietary aide was newer and had not been trained correctly, and also stated that wet stacking should not occur.
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