Failure to Label and Date Outside Food Stored in Resident Refrigerators
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors found that the facility failed to ensure that food brought in by families and visitors and stored in resident refrigerators was labeled and dated in accordance with facility policy and professional standards. During an observation of the south unit refrigerator with the DON, surveyors observed a large and a small box of outside delivery pizza with no labeling, no date, no expiration date, and no resident name. On another hall, surveyors observed in the refrigerator a bag of tacos from an outside restaurant with a receipt date indicating it had been received several days earlier and was past the facility’s allowed holding time, as well as a salad with no date and no resident name. Additionally, multiple opened 2-liter bottles of soda (blood orange, grape, and another flavor) were present without dates or resident names. The DON acknowledged that these items should have been labeled, dated, and identified with the resident’s name. Review of the facility’s written policy on foods brought in for residents showed that refrigerated cooked food items must be discarded after three days, all opened packages must have an open date and use-by date clearly marked, and foods found without dates are to be discarded, which was not followed in these instances. No specific resident medical histories or conditions were described in the report related to these observations.
We Help Long-Term Care Teams Stay Survey-Ready
We process and analyze inspection reports and plan of correction using AI to extract insights and trends so providers can improve care quality and stay ahead of compliance risks.