F0812

E

Failure to Label, Date, and Properly Store Resident Food in Nutrition Room Refrigerators

Santa Monica, California Survey Completed on 03-24-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves failure to follow the facility’s P&P for resident refrigerator/freezer storage and food handling in resident nutrition rooms. During an observation and concurrent interview with the Infection Preventionist Nurse (IPN) in the 2nd floor nutrition room, surveyors observed an undated and unlabeled open box of cornflakes and an undated and unlabeled open bag of potato chips stored in a cabinet. The IPN acknowledged these items should not have been stored there in that condition and stated they should have been labeled with the resident’s name and an expiration date, and that everything should have a name and an open date.

Further observation in the same 2nd floor nutrition room revealed a variety of bags inside the resident refrigerator that were not appropriately labeled and dated. The IPN verified that the food in the refrigerator should be labeled with the resident’s name and an open date so staff know when to discard it, and stated that they clean it out every three days. In the 3rd floor nutrition room, the resident refrigerator contained an opened plastic to-go container with no resident name or received date, along with various bags of food without proper dates and crowded in the refrigerator, despite a posted sign instructing that all resident food be labeled with name, date, and expiration date and that unlabeled food or food left more than 72 hours would be discarded. Review of the facility’s P&P for Resident’s Refrigerator/Freezer Storage – Dietary Services showed requirements that food items be stored to allow air circulation, avoid overcrowding, not be stored beyond 72 hours from date received, and that all items be properly covered, dated, and labeled with delivery and open dates, which were not followed in these observations.