Unlabeled and Undated Food Items Stored in Walk-In Cooler
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to label or date food items stored in the walk-in cooler, contrary to professional standards and facility expectations. During a kitchen tour, an unlabeled and undated rectangular metal container covered with plastic wrap was found to contain approximately 10 ounces of pudding, and an additional unlabeled and undated metal sheet pan covered with aluminum foil was found to contain about 20 turkey sandwiches. The Dietary Manager stated that when she left at 4:00 PM on the preceding Friday, neither the pudding nor the sandwiches were present in the cooler and that they must have been prepared and placed there over the weekend, but she could not determine exactly when due to the lack of labels and dates. She reported that she and the Assistant Dietary Manager monitored the walk-in cooler for unlabeled or undated food items during the week, but no one was designated to perform this monitoring on weekends, and that whoever placed food in the cooler was responsible for labeling and dating it. The Administrator confirmed in an interview that there should be no unlabeled or undated food items in the walk-in cooler. No specific residents or their medical conditions were mentioned in the report, and the deficiency was described as having the potential to affect food served to residents.
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