Failure to Maintain Hot Food Temperatures and Follow Tray Line Temperature Policy
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to provide hot, palatable food at safe and appetizing temperatures, particularly for residents receiving room trays. Multiple residents reported that their meals were frequently cold or only lukewarm. One resident who routinely eats in her room stated that the food is horrible and most of the time cold. Another resident reported that food is sometimes hot but often cold, noting that most residents eat in their rooms. A resident who returns from dialysis stated that his food is lukewarm at best and complained that a CNA refused to reheat his meal after dialysis. The Resident Council President reported that residents frequently receive cold food, sometimes covered only with plastic wrap instead of insulated covers, and that warming pellets had been eliminated. He also stated that some CNAs tell residents they will reheat food only once and then residents are on their own, which is problematic for residents who use wheelchairs. Surveyors observed the meal service and found that required food temperature checks were not performed at the start of service. A dietary aide acknowledged not taking food temperatures that day. The facility used a mix of unheated plastic plates for dementia unit residents and China plates warmed in an oven, while plate warmers and warming pellets were not in use. Plated meals were covered with insulated domes and transported in carts, but the facility ran out of domed covers toward the end of service, and some food was placed on a small metal cart. When a CNA took temperatures from a test tray after a resident’s tray was passed, the hamburger and side dishes measured between 103.6°F and 114.6°F, below the facility policy and dietitian’s stated acceptable range of at least 120°F for hot foods. The facility’s written policy required that all food temperatures on the serving line be measured and recorded at every meal and that hot foods not be served below 120°F, which was not followed during the observed meal service.
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