F0804

E

Failure to Provide Palatable Food and Beverages at Safe, Appetizing Temperatures

Reading, Pennsylvania Survey Completed on 03-20-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The facility failed to ensure that food and beverages were palatable and served at safe, appetizing temperatures on one of four nursing units (2nd Floor North). Food Committee minutes from December 2025 through February 2026 documented resident reports that their food was served cold and was not palatable, and a February 2026 grievance reported that beverages were not palatable. Facility Test Tray Meal Evaluation standards required hot entrées, starches, and vegetables to be at or above 135°F and milk to be at or below 41°F at point of service. However, a test tray audit on March 20, 2026, at 1:33 p.m. showed fish sticks at 107°F, tater tots at 113°F, mixed vegetables at 118°F, and milk at 48.7°F, and the meal was determined not to be palatable to taste.

On March 20, 2026, between 1:35 p.m. and 2:21 p.m., four residents on the 2nd Floor North unit were observed eating lunch in their rooms and stated that their hot foods were served cold and were not palatable. Additionally, two of these residents were not served the beverages listed on their meal tickets. In an interview at 3:30 p.m. the same day, the Food Service Director confirmed that the food temperatures did not meet the facility’s expectations for hot foods to be served at or above 135°F and cold foods at or below 41°F, and acknowledged that the two residents had not received the beverages ordered on their meal tickets.