Failure to Properly Label, Date, Store, and Sanitize Food and Kitchen Equipment
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s food service operations related to failure to follow policies for labeling, dating, storage, and sanitation of food and equipment. The facility’s policies required all refrigerated and frozen foods, as well as dry goods, to be labeled and dated upon receipt and when opened, and to be discarded according to safe food storage guidelines or manufacturer expiration dates. Policies also required drawers and cabinets in the dietary department to be cleaned weekly or more often as needed. During an initial kitchen visit, surveyors observed a cabinet without a door that contained accumulated debris and loose wood pieces at its base, while clean dishes were stored in this compromised area. Other kitchen cabinets were also in disrepair and had food and debris on their exterior surfaces. The dietary aide confirmed the presence of dirt and debris on cabinets where clean dishes were stored and stated that the manager was aware the cabinets were an issue. Further observations in the refrigerator, freezer, and dry storage revealed multiple opened food items that were not labeled or dated, as well as items that were past their expiration dates. In the refrigerator, surveyors found an open bottle of food and liquid thickener mix, sliced cheese, sliced ham, sliced turkey, and a carton of scrambled egg mix, all opened and undated. They also found an open container of French dressing labeled with an expiration date that had passed, opened bags of carrots with expired dates, several condiment containers with unknown sauces that were unlabeled and undated, and leftover cake labeled with an expiration date that had passed. In the freezer, opened bags of bread sticks, cinnamon rolls, and mixed vegetables were not labeled or dated. In the dry storage room, opened bags of bread and stuffing mix lacked opened dates, and three large containers of cereal were stored without labels or dates. The dietary manager verified each of these observations, acknowledging that the foods were opened and undated, some were expired and should have been discarded, and that all foods should be labeled and dated and cabinets cleaned and in good repair. The CMS Form 671 documented that 53 residents resided in the facility at the time of the survey.
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