Failure to Maintain Sanitary Kitchen Conditions and Safe Food Handling Practices
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s failure to maintain a safe and sanitary kitchen environment for all 63 residents who received meals from the kitchen. During a kitchen tour with the Corporate Dietary Manager, surveyors observed two large trash cans without lids, a utensil drawer containing scoops and ladles lying in a red, sticky substance, and a stainless-steel shelf under the steam table soiled with food and a yellow liquid. Three three-tiered red food carts were observed soiled with food debris and dried white liquid. In dry storage, several pieces of cardboard and paper littered the floor. In the refrigerator, surveyors found an unlabeled small stainless-steel pan with a white, hard substance, an open bag of lettuce with no date, a bag of bacon bits without an open date, and in a reach-in refrigerator, a large round container and three pitchers of red liquid with no dates or identifying labels. Two large tubs of rice crispy cereal were also not labeled with an open date. The Corporate Dietary Manager confirmed these observations during the tour. Surveyors also observed improper thawing and temperature control of ground beef. Two five-pound semi-frozen tubes of hamburger were initially seen soaking in warm water in a stainless-steel sink and later, at midday, still defrosting in stagnant cool water. Later in the afternoon, the same hamburger tubes were observed out of the water, sitting on the sink and cool to the touch. When a staff member took the temperatures in the presence of the Corporate Dietary Manager and Dietary Manager, one tube measured 57.8°F and the other 49.8°F. The Corporate Dietary Manager verified that these temperatures were not safe. Review of facility policies showed that food was to be received and stored to minimize contamination and bacterial growth, with repackaged food placed in appropriate containers labeled with contents and date, and that the Nutrition/Culinary Service Director was responsible for food safety, sanitation, and implementation and monitoring of a cleaning schedule. These observed conditions and practices were inconsistent with the facility’s written food safety and sanitation policies.
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