Food items were found improperly labeled or dated, and multiple kitchen surfaces and equipment were soiled, including refrigerators, ovens, microwaves, can openers, handwashing sinks, and a drip pan. The dish machine also had missing temperature logs, and the three-compartment sink water temperatures were not being recorded, showing failures in food safety and sanitation practices.
Expired Glucerna supplements were found in a resident nutrition room cabinet accessible to residents during a surveyor walkthrough. An SW confirmed the items were expired, showing a failure to store food in accordance with professional standards for food safety.
Unsanitary glove use and food prep surface contamination were observed during meal service. A staff member removed gloves, left the work area to get items, and put on new gloves without witnessed hand washing; the staff member said changing gloves or using alcohol rub was enough. Kitchen observations also found food debris and sticky residue on prep and tray line surfaces, and the same staff member later handled food, discarded gloves, and donned new gloves without washing hands first.
Improper handling of beverages during meal service. A red liquid and a pitcher of koolaid were observed on meal carts without ice, and one pitcher was not labeled or dated. An LPN confirmed the drinks were not kept cold during tray service, and a resident stated the koolaid was room temperature.
Food storage and sanitation practices were not maintained in accordance with policy. Surveyors observed multiple opened and unlabeled foods, expired items, iced-over freezer storage, dirty dry storage conditions, water in clean adaptive cups on a lunch cart, dirty carts with spills and crumbs, and dirty snack coolers with a sticky substance. A utensil storage container also had handles not all facing the same direction, and the facility policy required foods to be labeled and dated and freezers to be kept clean and organized.
Wet nesting was observed in the dish tank area when resident meal-use items were not air dried before storage. Surveyors found wet Kennedy cups and cereal bowls during an initial walk-through, and on a follow-up observation, cereal bowls were again stacked wet in a bus tub. The FSD and DOO verified the condition, and the FDM stated he thought the stacking was acceptable for space.
Soiled food and beverage carts were used for meal delivery and service. Surveyors observed dried white and red debris on the inside and outside of carts on multiple units, including on doors, shelves, bases, and edges. CNAs, the ADON, and the Administrator confirmed the carts were soiled and had been sent that way during meal service.
Wet nesting was observed in the kitchen when two metal pans and one clear plastic serving container were found stacked while still wet, and another wet metal pan was later seen on a shelf. The Dietary Manager confirmed the items were wet and removed them.
Surveyors identified multiple failures to follow food safety and sanitation policies, including soiled food service equipment, outdated and improperly labeled food items, and inadequate documentation of manual ware washing procedures. Personal items such as employee coats were stored on bread racks, and trash bins were placed on the same shelves as milk containers on beverage carts used for residents. These observations showed that staff did not consistently maintain clean food preparation areas, properly label and date TCS foods, or separate trash and personal belongings from food and food-contact surfaces.
Food storage and kitchen sanitation practices were not maintained in accordance with professional standards. Surveyors observed a missing temperature log for a reach-in refrigerator, soiled foodservice equipment and surfaces, an undated food thickener, a broken steamer, improper storage of an ice scoop and oven rack, sanitizer buckets that did not register sanitizer, no sanitizer bucket log, and wet-nested meal trays being used for resident service.
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