Improper Food Storage and Employee Hygiene in Main Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified that the facility failed to store and handle food in the main kitchen according to facility policy, the Pennsylvania Food Code, and federal regulations. Policy required thermometers in hot and cold storage, food stored off the floor, and use of clean uniforms and hairnets or caps in all food service areas. The Pennsylvania Food Code required hair and beard restraints and storage of food at least six inches off the floor. Federal regulation S483.60(i)(2) required proper storage of frozen foods to allow air circulation and maintenance of frozen temperatures, and labeling, dating, and monitoring of refrigerated foods. During a kitchen tour, surveyors observed food stored directly under the fans in the deep freezer with ice accumulation on pipes and food touching the ceiling, which did not allow proper air circulation. In the walk-in cooler, a cart contained open, undated meats, and opened packages of butter were stored under the cooler fans. The ice cream freezer had ice buildup with ice cream stuck in the ice. Additional observations showed multiple violations of food storage and employee hygiene requirements. In the dry storage area, 13 boxes of dry foods were stored in boxes on the floor, and a box of bacon bits and a box of cereal were unsealed, exposing them to possible contamination. A dietary aide working on the dining room tray line was serving food without a beard restraint, and another dietary aide was in the kitchen near the freezer without a hair restraint and stated he had forgotten to put one on. The kitchen exit door would not close on its own and had to be pulled shut, while the facility garbage areas were located outside this door, creating a potential entry point for animals or bugs. During interviews, the Nursing Home Administrator reported the Dietary Manager was unavailable, and the Assistant DON confirmed that the facility failed to properly store food products in the main kitchen, creating the potential for foodborne illness.
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