Food storage and staff attire standards were not followed in the kitchen. Dry goods were found on the floor, dented cans remained on the active shelf for resident use, a refrigerator holding residents' drinks was above the required temp, and freezer items were uncovered and exposed to ice particles. The DM also prepared meal plates with his beard net below his mustache, despite knowing facial hair was supposed to be fully covered.
Improper Food Storage and Staff Hair Restraint: The kitchen had multiple uncovered and unsealed food items in the dry pantry and freezer, including pasta, frozen entrees, and a box of oatmeal cookie dough stored under an ice-covered condenser and later found again without being discarded. Several storage bins for salt, sugar, and breadcrumbs were soiled, and an employee was observed wearing a beard net incorrectly so facial hair was not fully covered. The Dietary Mgr stated food should be covered securely and facial hair should be properly restrained.
Kitchen staff failed to maintain proper food storage and sanitation. Surveyors observed a dented can stored with other canned goods, an opened box of raw hamburger patties in the freezer, and heavy grease, dirt, food particles, and sticky residue on the fryer, steam table, and roll-up door. Staff and the DON/Administrator acknowledged the conditions and stated that food should be labeled, dated, sealed, and kept clean.
Hand hygiene and food storage practices were not sanitary. The DM repeatedly turned off the faucet with bare hands after washing at the hand sink instead of using a clean towel or paper towel. In addition, a Unit 2 nourishment refrigerator contained three pitchers of tea, including one dated but not labeled and two that were neither dated nor labeled. Facility policy required proper hand hygiene technique and that refrigerated food be labeled, dated, monitored by use-by-date, and discarded when the date is reached.
Food storage, staff attire, and hot-holding practices were not followed in the kitchen. A box of pork chops was found uncovered in the freezer, two dietary staff wore hairnets improperly with hair exposed, and an alternative lunch item of fish patties was left uncovered and temped at 81 degrees F. Facility policy required covered storage, proper hair restraint, and food held above 135 degrees F.
Kitchen sanitation and food storage deficiencies were observed when old dried food debris was found under the steam table, food spillage and debris were seen inside food prep table drawers, and soiled parchment paper was present in the drawers. Two boxes of soybean salad oil were stored on the floor in dry storage, and dusty fans, vents, walls, and ventilation systems were observed above food prep and dish areas. The DM stated cleaning was not task-specific, routine duties were not assigned, and several areas had not been cleaned for months.
Food storage and handling safety lapses were observed in the kitchen. Uncovered and undated dessert cups were found in the freezer, dented canned goods and an unsealed soup base were stored for use, an ADM wore a hairnet that left hair exposed, and the ADM used the same thermometer on hamburger patties and pureed corn without cleaning it first, then served the corn after removing only the touched area.
Surveyors observed multiple dietary staff, including the DM, working without proper beard guards or hair restraints, with facial hair exposed or coverings worn incorrectly. Clean dishes were stored loosely in milk crates on shelving and on the floor, serving bowls were left face-up on the tray line, and several food items in refrigerators and freezers were undated or improperly stored, including an opened jelly container left unrefrigerated. Staff were also observed handling food and utensils with the same gloves, touching face and food-contact surfaces during tray line service.
Surveyors found that nourishment refrigerators and freezers on several units were soiled with dried food debris, and multiple opened grape jelly containers were left undated and unrefrigerated despite labeling that required refrigeration after opening. Facility policies required refrigerators and freezers to be kept clean, free of debris, and that refrigerated or frozen foods be covered, labeled, and dated. Staff interviews showed that Dietary was responsible for cleaning nourishment refrigerators, that refrigerators were cleaned on a set schedule with spills expected to be wiped up by staff, and that opened jelly should have been dated and refrigerated. These practices had the potential to affect all current residents.
Food storage practices did not follow professional standards when surveyors found opened and in-use items that were not properly dated, including an opened box of baking soda, a bottle of ground nutmeg, and a refrigerated bottle of Thick & Easy Apple Juice without an open date. The facility policy required foods to be covered, labeled, dated, and checked for safe use by dates, and the Dietary Manager, DON, and Administrator all stated outdated food should be discarded.
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