Failure to Label and Date Stored Food Items per Facility Policy
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s food storage practices based on observations in the kitchen refrigerators, freezers, and dry storage areas. During an inspection of Refrigerator #1, an original package of grapes was found without any received date, opened date, or use-by date. In Freezer #1, an original package of pepperoni was labeled only with a received date of September 5, 2025, but lacked an opened date and use-by date. In the same freezer, an opened original package of vegan burger patties, received on January 7, 2026, had no open date or use-by date, and an opened original package of cod fish patties had no received date, opened date, or use-by date. In the dry storage area, an original box of potatoes, a box of bananas, and an original bag of tortilla chips were all found without any received dates, and the tortilla chips also lacked an opened date and use-by date. In interviews following these observations, the Food Services Director and the Dietary Manager & Director confirmed that facility policy requires all items stored in the refrigerator, freezer, and dry storage to be labeled with a received date, open date, and, when applicable, a use-by date, in a manner accessible to staff. They stated that opened items kept in original packaging are expected to be placed in sealable containers or packages and labeled with the required dates, and that fresh produce boxes must retain the received date and be checked daily for wholesomeness. The facility’s written “Food Safety” policy, last reviewed May 1, 2025, further documented that pre-packaged food transferred to new containers must be labeled with contents and date, that received food must be dated if not already indicated, that each item in multi-item boxes must be individually dated, and that opened packages must be resealed tightly and labeled with a use-by date when applicable. The observed lack of required labeling and dating on multiple food items demonstrated noncompliance with these established policies and professional standards for food storage.
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