Kitchen Food Storage and Prep Sanitation Failure: The facility failed to keep food storage and preparation areas sanitary when gray debris was observed near food prep areas, frozen meat patties lacked required dates, garlic bread sticks were left unsealed, and seasoning was kept past the opened-date timeframe. A staff member also tore open a probe wipe with his teeth, did not perform hand hygiene after touching his face and the wipe, and then used the thermometer on pureed food that was served to six residents.
Kitchen equipment and surfaces were found soiled during observation, including a drip pan with crusted food residue, a conveyor toaster with debris and grease buildup, and an oven with black, gray, and yellow-brown residue. The DM said the drip pan was cleaned weekly, the toaster was wiped after use but not taken apart for inside cleaning, and the oven was cleaned weekly; however, staff interviews and task sheets did not show cleaning tasks for the drip pans or conveyor toaster, and no in-services on cleaning and sanitization were found.
Unclean and wet food service pans were found stored in the kitchen serving residents on regular, mechanical soft, and pureed diets. During observation, a Dietary Manager found one quarter sheet pan with brown soft particles that transferred to a napkin and several other quarter sheet pans plus one full sheet pan that were wet inside. The DM said the kitchen was too small to air dry the pans, while the IP/DON and Administrator stated pans, serve ware, and dishware should not be stored wet or with food residue; the facility policy required items to be cleaned, sanitized, air dried, and properly stored.
Unsafe Food Handling and Poor Hand Hygiene During Meal Prep: A dietary staff member handled food, utensils, and blender parts with ungloved hands, placed items on an unsanitized prep table, reused a spoon after it touched a dirty lid, and performed multiple food prep and meal service tasks without hand hygiene. During lunch service, the staff member also handled tortillas and plated food with bare hands, and no hand hygiene was observed.
Hair restraints were not consistently worn during food prep when two dietary aides were observed with hair exposed outside their hair nets while preparing resident food items. One aide stated their long hair should have been fully contained, and the other aide also acknowledged all hair should have been up in the hair net. The DM confirmed all hair should be confined and that extra-large hair nets were available, while the Administrator stated dietary staff were trained on hair restraints during initial hire.
The ice machine was not maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. During observation, the DM and Administrator wiped the inside near the storage bin opening and found a yellow-brown substance that appeared to be rust or dirt. The DM said the MS was responsible for cleaning the machine, while the MS said he deep cleaned it every two months and was unsure what dietary staff did daily or weekly. The cleaning log showed infrequent entries, and the facility policy required ice machines and ice storage containers to be drained, cleaned, and sanitized.
A facility failed to ensure a high-temp dish machine reached required temperatures and failed to ensure the correct sanitizer test strips were available for the 3-compartment sink. The DM stated the proper strips had been unavailable, a borrowed bleach strip did not work with the kitchen chemical, and a Dishwasher admitted writing down the expected ppm instead of actually testing it. Temperature logs showed multiple days when rinse and sanitizing temperatures did not reach required levels, and the Administrator stated the issue could leave dishes not properly sanitized.
Food handling and hand hygiene failures were observed during meal service. A dietary aide prepared food without fully covering a mustache and protruding hair, and the RD entered the kitchen without a hair cover while food was being prepared. In addition, a CNA and an LPN delivered and set up meal trays without hand hygiene between residents, and a CNA handled sliced bread with bare hands while setting up trays. Facility interviews and policies confirmed hair restraints, hand hygiene, and avoiding bare hand contact with food were required.
Unsafe food handling and kitchen sanitation practices were observed when a grease trap under the griddle was found with heavy black sludge and debris, a personal cellphone was left on a food prep counter, and a CNA used bare hands to place crackers into a resident’s bowl of chili. Staff and leadership acknowledged the contamination and fire hazards, and facility policies did not include specific grease trap cleaning instructions or clear food-service hand hygiene requirements.
Food storage and dishwashing practices were not maintained as required. An opened pie crust in the pantry had no open or use-by date, and a box of sheet dough in the freezer was opened and left uncovered and unsealed. The low-temp dishwasher also repeatedly failed to reach the required 120 degrees F wash and rinse temperatures, with incomplete logs and staff unsure of the correct operating temperature.
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