Kitchen sanitation and hand hygiene deficiencies were observed in the dietary area. Dust was seen on vents above the grill, storage bins were soiled on the outside, spices were left open to air, and the juice machine compressor and tray had crumbs and debris. The DM and another staff member were observed washing hands for less than the posted 20 seconds, and the DM was also observed donning gloves and handling pie without hand hygiene after touching wall certificates.
Food handling and hand hygiene lapses occurred during lunch prep when the DM and other staff touched cart handles, refrigerator doors, packing boxes, saran wrap, meal tickets, and other surfaces with gloved hands, then returned to preparing food without changing gloves or washing hands. Staff also handled fruit, sandwiches, cold plates, and cottage cheese while continuing meal service, and a delivery driver entered the prep area and showed an invoice over the food prep space.
Food items were found undated, expired, and open to air in the kitchen freezer and refrigerator, and expired yogurt was also found in resident refrigerators. During lunch tray line, kitchen staff were observed touching multiple surfaces without changing gloves, and a cook used the same gloved hands to handle a hamburger bun and then gluten free bread for a gluten free resident.
Dishmachine Temperatures Below Required Sanitizing Levels: The facility’s dishmachine was observed running below the manufacturer’s required sanitizing temperatures, with wash, rinse, and final rinse readings not meeting the posted standards. Clean cups, plates, domes, mugs, and bowls were removed from the machine and placed with clean dishes while the DM and another staff member confirmed the temperatures were below the required levels and that the thermometer available for checking the machine was not working.
Food items in the refrigerator and freezer were repeatedly found undated, including meats, cheeses, vegetables, and frozen desserts, and a kitchen staff member was observed serving food without a hair net. Sanitation practices were also deficient when staff used sanitizer buckets without verifying the solution strength, continued using a bucket that did not test at the expected level, and handled food with gloves after cleaning surfaces without hand hygiene.
Food service safety standards were not followed. Staff used the wrong sanitizer test strips for quat solution, did not know how to interpret the results, and were observed handling dirty dishes and clean dishes with the same gloves and placing dirty items on the clean side of the dishmachine. The dishmachine temperatures were repeatedly below required levels, logs were incomplete, and the kitchen and storage areas had soiled surfaces and improperly dated or undated food items.
Food safety standards were not followed when the walk-in cooler was found at 50 degrees F and several refrigerated foods were measured above 41 degrees F. The kitchen also had multiple opened and undated items in the refrigerator, freezer, and dry storage. During tray line service, an aide handled food with the same gloves after touching her face and leaving the station, and the DM stated food should not be touched with bare or gloved hands.
Food was not stored, prepared, distributed, and served in accordance with professional standards. A Bluetooth speaker was observed on a shelf used for meal prep items, and an LPN with a beard was observed preparing enchiladas for residents' lunch without a beard net.
Kitchen sanitation and dishmachine temperature deficiencies: A dietary aide used sanitizer that tested outside the expected range and later another staff member found it at 0 PPM, while soiled areas were observed on the shelf above the trayline, ceiling, and piping behind cooking equipment. Staff also handled raw meat and then touched cutting boards without hand hygiene, and the dishmachine washing cycle repeatedly measured below the stated minimum while clean dishes were being put away.
Dish machine wash temperatures were repeatedly observed below the manufacturer-required minimum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit, while trays, plates, bases, and domes were washed and then put away with clean dishes. The DM signed the temperature log as 120 degrees for wash and rinse despite surveyor observations showing lower wash temps, and the DM stated the machine sometimes did not work and that a contractor was working on the washing machines.
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