Improper Storage of Personal Food in Nourishment Refrigerator: Staff stored personal food items in a nourishment refrigerator used for resident food. Observation showed an unlabeled pink lunch bag and a salad in a restaurant bag with no name or date. Facility policy required food brought into the facility to be stored separately or be easily distinguishable from facility food, and staff interviews confirmed personal food was supposed to be kept in the break room refrigerator.
Kitchen sanitation and food storage practices were not maintained in accordance with professional standards. Surveyors observed poor lighting in the kitchen production area, grease on the floor near dry storage, and beverage carts with pitchers placed on a wet surface. Cleaning records did not document beverage cart cleaning, and pest control reports repeatedly noted kitchen debris, grease buildup, and sanitation issues. In two nourishment rooms, a Med-Plus supplement was found opened without a date and another was opened and dated outside the manufacturer’s guidance; the Dietary Director, DON, and Administrator stated opened supplements should be dated and used within a limited time.
Improperly Labeled and Dated Food Items in Cooler: Surveyors found multiple food items in the walk-in cooler that were not labeled with the contents and had only one date written on the container. The DM stated food items were supposed to be stored in airtight containers with labels identifying the item, the date placed in the cooler, and the expiration date, and acknowledged that staff had dated the items incorrectly.
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.
Hair Not Fully Covered During Food Service: An observation in the kitchen found a dietary aide with about four inches of hair hanging out of the hair net while leaning over the steam table. The facility policy required dietary staff to wear hair restraints so hair did not contact food, and the dietary aide stated she did not know and acknowledged hair could fall in the food. The DM and Administrator stated hair was expected 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.
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