Staff personal drink containers were observed in the 500 and 600 hall satellite resident pantry, including refillable water bottles, open soda, Red Bull, Gatorade, and a Starbucks drink on the countertop in the resident food service area. The Kitchen Manager and a CNA confirmed the pantry was for resident food and drink items only and that staff drinks in the room posed a cross contamination risk; staff drinks were supposed to be stored in the employee break room. The facility did not provide a policy for where staff personal belongings were to be stored.
Food handling and sanitation practices were deficient when dietary staff handled food and donned gloves without performing hand hygiene, stored cooked ham in contact with raw pork chops in the walk-in refrigerator, left caramel sauce past its expiration date in the refrigerator, and kept the outdoor barbecue grill covered in char and grease. The Dietary Supervisor confirmed the hand hygiene, storage, expiration, and cleaning expectations during the observations.
Unlabeled and undated resident food was found in a pediatric section satellite kitchen. Surveyors observed a take-out container with accoutrements and a quart of milk in the refrigerator with no visible placement or use-by date, and an uncovered partially consumed ice cream type product in the freezer with no resident name, placement date, or use-by date.
Expired and unlabeled food items were found in 3 of 4 nourishment room refrigerators, including resident food with past expiration dates and an unlabeled resident item. The ADON, RN, CNAs, and DON confirmed the items should have been labeled and/or discarded, and staff stated nourishment refrigerators were checked daily or twice daily for expired items.
Missing handwashing supplies, improper food storage, and unsanitary food prep were observed in the serving kitchens. A handwashing station lacked disposable hand towels, open pouches of powdered fruit punch and lemonade were left exposed in a pantry, and a DS served soft and bite sized asparagus at 132 F before using a personal knife from a pocket, washed only with hand soap in the handwashing sink, to cut food on a resident plate.
Unsanitary kitchen conditions were observed throughout food prep, storage, and dishwashing areas, including food debris, dirty carts, contaminated bulk food containers, and heavy buildup on equipment. Surveyors also found backed up water in the dishwasher and beverage areas from broken drain/sewer lines, and a nourishment room refrigerator at 60 degrees Fahrenheit with opened, undated foods and cold items stored above safe temperatures; the unit clerk’s temperature log showed 39 degrees Fahrenheit earlier that morning, which the DM said could not have changed that quickly.
Unlabeled Food and Beverages in Nourishment Room Refrigerators: Open juice containers and a resident food item were found in nourishment room refrigerators without the required labels. Kitchen staff stated they were responsible for labeling resident beverages before placement, while nursing staff were responsible for labeling resident food items. A CNA stated she did not know labels were available for resident stored food items, and confirmed the items were not properly labeled.
Unsanitary Kitchen Conditions and Improper Frozen Food Storage: Surveyors observed a malfunctioning handwashing sink in the food prep area that did not dispense hot water, heavy grease and food debris on kitchen equipment, dusty and greasy hood filters, and dried food spillage on floors beneath multiple pieces of equipment. The oven, dishwasher exhaust, and toaster were also visibly soiled, and several frozen food items were stored in the walk-in refrigerator instead of the freezer, contrary to manufacturer instructions. A cook and the Dietary Manager acknowledged the unsanitary conditions and improper storage.
Food storage and sanitization deficiencies were identified when the Dietary Manager could not verify sanitizer ppm for the 3-compartment sink because test strips were unavailable, yet the sanitation log incorrectly showed verification had been completed. Staff also found expired food items in the refrigerator and nourishment room, and dented cans were not discarded as required. The Cook and Dietary Manager acknowledged that expired and damaged food items must be removed to prevent contamination and illness.
Low Sanitizer Concentration in Three-Compartment Sink: The facility failed to ensure dishware was sanitized per policy in the main kitchen three-compartment sink. The quaternary ammonium sanitizer measured about 50-100 ppm, below the Food Service Manager’s stated target range and the facility policy requirement for immersion in a 150-200 ppm solution for at least one minute. The Food Service Manager stated the sink should be tested daily and that utensils and equipment must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized.
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