Food Storage, Sanitation, and Hand Hygiene Deficiencies in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s food service and kitchen sanitation practices affecting 76 residents served from the kitchen. During a kitchen tour, surveyors observed multiple improperly stored and unlabeled food items, including an undated, unlabeled bag of leftover pasta, an open undated half package of sliced ham, and an undated, unlabeled pitcher of white liquid in the refrigerator. They also observed undated opened gallon containers of mustard and Ranch dressing with dried spillage down the sides onto the labels, and in the case of the Ranch dressing, the lid was not secured properly. The facility’s policy required that food be stored, handled, prepared, and served to minimize the risk of foodborne illness, and that dishwashing machines be operated using specified sanitation methods. Additional observations showed that stacked cups and plates had water droplets between them on two separate days, indicating dishes were not air dried as required. A dietary aide was seen tossing salad in a large bowl without wearing gloves, and the CDM acknowledged the aide should have washed hands and donned gloves before touching food. The CDM also reported that the dietitian had not visited in approximately a year, resulting in no kitchen audits being available, and the administrator stated they did not know who was responsible for kitchen audits since the dietitian was not coming to the building. These observations demonstrated failures in labeling, dating, cleanliness of condiment containers, dishwashing and drying practices, and hand hygiene, contrary to the facility’s kitchen sanitation policy and professional standards.
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