The Truth Behind Expired Foods

When expired food is identified by state surveyors or a county inspector, the community will typically receive a citation. For skilled nursing/Centers for Medicare Services (CMS), it would be F-tag 812. This happened recently during a state survey in California. The survey team identified several foods that were either expired or did not have a “use-by” date. In either case the food was discarded. The surveyor’s concern was that a resident could become ill if food is not stored appropriately per the FDA Food. In addition, the community could lose thousands of dollars if this is a common practice.

In this instance and as part of the plan of correction, the dietitian provided several inservices to staff. In addition, the dietitian worked with the Dietary Manager to implement an effective quality assurance program that proactively identifies future concerns. Implementing this system will reduce the chance of a foodborne illness along with potentially saving the community several thousand dollars.

For more information about how our systems and surveys help safeguard against regulatory compliance issues, visit our site here.