Last updated on June 15th, 2023
If you work in or operate a senior living community, you most likely know how important F-Tags are. F-Tags refer to areas of compliance assessed during a CMS Survey. F-Tags are used by your state and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure that your community is providing safe, quality care to all of your residents. Each tag is related to one area of the Code of Federal Regulations. All of these tags come directly from the regulations outlined in 42 CFR Part 483.60. In total, there are 209 F-Tags outlined in the State Operations Manual for Long Term Care Communities published by CMS.
Of the 209 possible tags, 15 are directly related to your dietary department. These tags are referred to as Food and Nutrition Services tags. During a CMS survey, one surveyor on the team is responsible for observing and confirming compliance of each of the 15 possible tags. Surveyors will use a variety of methods – observation, inspection, and investigation – to determine compliance.
In this blog post, we’ll focus on the F812 tag, which addresses all aspects of food safety. We’ll detail what exactly inspectors are looking for in your kitchen for F812 compliance. Then, in the next blog post of this safety series, we’ll discuss steps your staff can take to ensure your kitchen passes inspection for this tag every single time.
You can view all of the CMS guidelines here, but in this series, we’ll be focusing on the newer F800 tags, which all relate to nutrition and food service.
F812 and Food Procurement Requirements
F812 states that communities must “procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory by federal, state or local authorities.” This can include food items from local producers, subject to applicable state and local laws or regulations. You can also use produce grown in your community’s gardens if it’s grown using safe growing and food-handling practices. This provision doesn’t prohibit residents from eating foods that weren’t procured by your community (like if a family member brings them dinner).
When evaluating this guideline, a surveyor is confirming that your food is procured per local regulations. A surveyor will be looking for:
- Staff inspecting food or beverage items whenever they are delivered to your community for safe transport and quality upon receipt.
- Invoices for food and supplies, on request
- Food that’s brought into the community from an off-site kitchen should be approved and inspected by the appropriate Federal, state, or local authorities (except for food brought to residents by family or visitors).
F812 and Food Storage Guidelines
When it comes to storage, F812 states that you must “store, prepare, distribute, and serve food in accordance with professional standards for food service safety.” This is to stop the spread of foodborne illness in vulnerable residents.
To meet this guideline, inspectors want to see:
- Foods maintained at safe temperatures, which means below 41 degrees for cold foods and at or above 135 degrees for hot foods except during preparation, cooking, or cooling.
- Frozen foods must be maintained at a temperature to keep the food frozen solid.
- Foods in a walk-in unit should be stored off the floor.
- Food plated for transport can’t be out of temperature control for more than four hours from the time that it’s plated.
- Raw foods must be stored in a manner to reduce the risk of contaminating cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
- Dry foods and goods must be kept in a clean, dry area that’s free from contaminants. They should be handled and stored in a manner that maintains the integrity of the packaging until you’re ready to use them. If you’re storing food in bins (like flour), it should be removed from its original packaging.
- Food and food products should be kept off the floor and clear of ceiling sprinklers, sewer/waste disposal pipes, and vents to maintain food quality and prevent contamination.
- Foods that are not safe for consumption should be removed from the food storage area.
F812 and Food Preparation Guidelines
There are a lot of steps your food service team needs to take for safe food preparation and avoiding cross-contamination, which occurs when harmful substances transfer between two surfaces (such as to food from your hands).
To ensure safe food preparation, inspectors want to see:
- Food cooked to the appropriate temperature to kill pathogenic microorganisms (PMO) that may cause foodborne illness
- Poultry and stuffed foods: 165 degrees
- Ground meat, ground fish, and eggs held for service: At least 155 degrees
- Fish and other non-ground meats: 145 degrees
- Fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables that are cooked do not require the same level of microorganism destruction as raw meats/foods. Cooking to a hot holding temperature (135 degrees) prevents the growth of pathogenic bacteria that may be present in these foods
- Use of pasteurized shell eggs for egg products where the whole egg does not reach a minimum of 165°F
- Food is cooled in a manner that prevents the growth of PMO.
- Proper personal hygiene practices to prevent food contamination
- Equipment and food contact surfaces (cutting boards, plates, utensils, etc) are used and maintained to prevent cross-contamination.
How Can I Make Sure My Kitchen Is Compliant?
Yes, that’s a lot to keep track of! In our next blog post, we’ll talk about practices you can put into place to make sure your kitchen and team are always inspection-ready.
At Culinary Services Group we take great pride in operating safe, clean kitchens. We can’t deliver on our promise of delicious, healthy food if your kitchen doesn’t pass state health inspections first. Our managers are experts in their state’s regulations and know what it takes to deliver a zero-deficiency inspection.
Customer safety is the foundation of every CSG kitchen. Our food safety and proper food handling classes are an essential part of our training and go well beyond industry requirements. We’ll get your kitchen running safely and smoothly so you can feel at ease during your state inspection.
We take our commitment to safety so seriously that if you sign a contract with us and receive a moderate to serious violation that requires another inspection, we’ll forgo our management fees until the problem is resolved and your facility passes inspection.
That’s a pretty unique proposition, but we’re a pretty unique food service management company. We have consistently performed better than the national average on health inspections for the last five years.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can help keep your community’s kitchen safe and clean, contact us here.
