F0804

D

Inadequate Meal Portions and Poor Food Palatability

Mattoon, Illinois Survey Completed on 01-29-2026

Penalty

44 days payment denial

Summary

Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s provision of palatable, adequately portioned meals at safe and appetizing temperatures for three cognitively intact residents. Observation on 1/20/26 showed the cook using a premeasured scoop to serve chili while scraping the bottom of the pan, with the chili appearing very thick and without visible liquid. The cook reported there were no residents who did not eat solid foods. That same day, a cart of prepared meal trays was moved from the kitchen to the main dining room at 10:58 a.m., left there until 11:10 a.m., then moved to a resident hall, where staff began passing trays at 11:12 a.m. and completed distribution by 11:20 a.m. Residents reported receiving very small portions of chili that appeared to come from the bottom of the pan and lacking soup or liquid.

Interviews with three residents documented consistent complaints about meal quality, temperature, and portion sizes. One resident, who identified as the Resident Council President, stated that meals are served cold, portions are small, and the food tastes like garbage, and reported receiving a very small portion of chili consisting only of meat and beans with no soup. Another resident with a full, untouched meal tray in his room stated the meals are awful dog food that he would not feed his dog, reported ordering outside food due to the nastiness of facility meals, and described meals as always cold with inconsistent portion sizes. A third resident stated meals are terrible, always late, never hot, and served in small portions. The Certified Food Protection Manager later acknowledged awareness of complaints about small portions and cold food and reported that staff confirmed the facility ran out of bowls and chili for residents requiring pureed textures on the day in question.