Improper Labeling and Storage of Opened Food Items in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to store, prepare, distribute, and serve food in accordance with professional standards and its own policies for dry storage and refrigerated food. During a kitchen observation, surveyors found multiple opened food items in the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer that were not properly sealed, labeled, or dated. These included an opened bag of cocoa with the top rolled down, an opened bag of cake mix in an unlabeled and undated zip bag, an unsealed and undated bag of lettuce mix, an unlabeled and undated plastic container of a jello and fruit-like substance, metal containers of cooked eggs and cooked breakfast meat that were not labeled or dated, and an open zip bag of ground turkey without a label or date. In the freezer, surveyors observed an opened, unlabeled, undated bag of hashbrowns, an open box with an open bag of frozen egg products, and opened, unlabeled, undated bags of frozen potatoes and frozen chicken breasts. During interviews, the dietary manager acknowledged that all the opened, unlabeled food items identified by surveyors were not stored properly and stated that staff knew they should label and date open items and store them in appropriate sealed containers. Dietary staff members reported they had received training on proper food storage and described expectations that opened food be covered or placed in sealed containers or bags, then labeled and dated, but also reported having seen food improperly stored and noted that some shifts were better than others about following these practices. The administrator stated her expectation that food be sealed, labeled, and dated, and expressed concern that improper storage could lead to expired food and exposure to bacteria, creating an infection control issue. Facility policy for dry storage required open packages of food to be stored in closed containers with tight covers and dated as to when opened, and the refrigeration policy required food returned to storage after cooking or preparation to be covered and all containers labeled with contents and date placed in storage. All 113 residents were reported to receive food from the kitchen.
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