F0812

E

Failure to Discard Expired Food Items in Kitchen Refrigerator

Wilmington, North Carolina Survey Completed on 03-26-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

Surveyors observed that kitchen staff failed to discard multiple expired food items stored in one of two reach-in refrigerators, contrary to professional standards and facility expectations for food safety. During an initial kitchen tour on 03/22/26 at 10:20 AM with a staff member identified as #1, surveyors found an opened plastic container of sauerkraut with a discard date of 2/24/26, an opened plastic container of canned pears with a discard date of 3/12/26, an opened plastic container of canned tuna with a discard date of 3/19/26, and an opened plastic container of canned pork and beans with a discard date of 3/21/26 still stored in the refrigerator.

In an interview at 10:25 AM on 03/22/26, the weekend cook (staff #1) stated that all kitchen staff were responsible for checking and discarding expired foods, acknowledged he had not checked the refrigerator that morning, and confirmed he had also worked the previous day when the expired items were overlooked. In a 03/24/26 interview at 12:42 PM, the Dietary Manager stated that perishable foods were to be discarded after 3 days and that staff should have removed the foods on their discard dates, and in a separate interview at 12:52 PM the Administrator stated she expected kitchen staff to check for expired foods daily and remove any foods by the discard date.