Improper Labeling, Dating, and Storage of Food and Beverages in Nutrition Rooms
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s food and nutrition services related to improper storage, labeling, and dating of food and beverages in the north and south nutrition room refrigerators. The facility’s written policy dated 05/01/23 required food and nutrition employees to prepare, label, and date evening snacks with a use-by date, affix labels including the resident’s name, current date, and use-by date, and ensure pantries were stocked with covered, labeled, and dated items. Despite this policy, observations on 03/09/26 in the south nutrition room revealed one pitcher of a pink-colored beverage and one pitcher of a purple-colored beverage stored in the refrigerator without labels or dates. Additionally, eight pre-packaged peanut butter and jelly sandwiches dated 02/07/26, four pre-packaged turkey sandwiches dated 02/08/26, three Vital Cuisine nutritional supplement shakes dated 03/03/26, and three small pre-packaged containers of strawberries dated 03/05/26 were stored in the refrigerator. Further observations on 03/09/26 in the north nutrition room showed six pre-packaged peanut butter and jelly sandwiches dated 02/07/26, two pre-packaged turkey sandwiches dated 02/08/26, and two Vital Cuisine nutritional supplement shakes dated 03/03/26 stored in the refrigerator, along with three 4-oz pre-packaged containers of chocolate pudding that were not labeled. During an interview on 03/10/26, the Dietary Manager stated that Dietary Aides were responsible for delivering and checking for expired resident snacks in both nutrition rooms three times daily, confirmed that expired food should be discarded, and that all food and beverage items should be labeled and dated. In a separate interview, the Administrator stated her expectation that residents do not receive or consume expired foods and acknowledged that residents could become ill if they consume expired foods.
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