Soiled plate warmers were observed stacked on an open shelf next to the food serving line, with grease, egg, crumbs, and other food debris present. Styrofoam plates were also stored face up on the shelf, and one unused plate contained a piece of egg inside it. The S2DM confirmed the items should have been sanitized and stored face down.
Surveyors observed multiple opened, undated food items stored improperly in the kitchen, including uncovered cups of ranch dressing and another undated food item in the snack/nourishment refrigerator, as well as an opened gallon of teriyaki sauce in the pantry that required refrigeration after opening but was not refrigerated. Staff confirmed opened foods should be covered, labeled with an open date, and refrigerated when required.
Surveyors found that kitchen staff did not follow facility policies for sanitary food service and equipment storage. A dusty fan was positioned close to a food prep table and was blowing directly onto desserts while they were being portioned. Ice scoops were kept in an uncovered bucket on a prep table shelf and were used to fill residents’ cups with ice before being returned to the uncovered container, despite policy requiring scoops to be stored to prevent contamination. Residents’ cups were stored upright and uncovered instead of inverted or covered as required. Infection control staff later confirmed that the fan should not have been directed at food and that ice scoops and cups should have been properly covered or inverted, while the dietary manager reported she was unaware of these storage requirements.
Surveyors found that the facility failed to follow food safety standards for storage, labeling, dating, and discarding of food, as well as for documenting food temperatures for meals served to 114 residents. In the kitchen, multiple opened items in the refrigerator, dry storage, and on a seasoning shelf were undated, unlabeled, unsealed, or in poor condition, including vegetables in liquid, browning fruit, unsealed butter, bread, and clumped seasoning. The cook and dietary manager acknowledged that these items should have been sealed, labeled, dated, or discarded and confirmed that required food temperatures were not documented for several consecutive meals. The administrator confirmed that all kitchen staff were expected to ensure proper labeling, dating, and temperature documentation.
Improper Freezer Food Storage: Surveyors observed multiple food items in the freezer stored in unsealed bags inside open cardboard boxes, including sausage patties, biscuit dough, diced ham, chicken breast patties, fish fingers, and egg rolls. The D M confirmed the items were open and not sealed, and the ADM stated the food should have been sealed and not left open to air.
Improper Food Storage and Unsanitary Kitchen Surfaces: Bulk dry goods, juices, and snack items were stored in the kitchen without delivery, opening, expiration, or use-by dates. In addition, a rack used for meal covers and a food prep table had grime and water stains, and the kitchen supervisor and ADM confirmed the findings.
Unsafe food service and improper dish storage. The facility failed to monitor steam table food temperatures for multiple meals and days, despite policy requiring temperature checks throughout the meal. In addition, a dirty, dusty electric fan was observed blowing on clean dishes in a drying rack, and the DM confirmed the fan was being used to dry the dishes and should not have been dirty.
The facility did not ensure that bearded kitchen staff consistently wore required beard restraints while preparing, serving, and cleaning up food, despite these items being readily available. During a survey observation, three male dietary workers with beards were seen handling food and washing dishes without beard restraints, and the Dietary Manager acknowledged they should have been wearing them. This failure affected all residents who received meals prepared and served from the kitchen.
Missing Beard Restraint During Puree Meal Preparation: A dietary staff member with a full beard/goatee was observed preparing puree meals for 9 residents while wearing a hair net but no beard restraint. The Dietary Manager later confirmed the beard restraint was missing and should have been worn during meal prep.
Improper Food Storage in Kitchen: Surveyors observed an opened container of soy sauce stored in the dry storage room despite a label stating it should be refrigerated after opening, and an opened block of margarine that was unsealed and lacked an open date. The DM and RD confirmed the storage issues and that the items should have been refrigerated, sealed, labeled, and dated.
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