Rivers Edge Nursing and Rehab: Food Temp Failures - WI
When a federal inspector sat down with a breakfast tray at Rivers Edge Nursing and Rehab on April 3, the milk registered 53.2 degrees Fahrenheit. The inspector noted it tasted warm. Nearly four hours later, the lunch tray arrived. The milk came in at 48 degrees. It tasted warm again.
Both temperatures sat in what food safety guidelines call the danger zone, the range in which bacteria multiply. Milk should be held at 41 degrees or below.
Those were the only two test trays inspectors ran. Both failed.
The breakfast tray included scrambled eggs, oatmeal, milk and coffee. The lunch tray carried Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, beets and milk. Inspectors did not report temperature readings for the hot items, only for the milk, which appeared on both trays and failed both times.
The setup in the kitchen offered a clue as to why. Plates were being covered with plastic tops and bottoms, but no plate warmers were in use for the hot food. The milk had been poured into glasses and covered, but the glasses sat on a tray with no ice beneath them. They were waiting at room temperature while dining room and hall trays were served first. The inspector received the breakfast tray only after all other residents had already gotten theirs.
Nine minutes after that breakfast tray was delivered, the inspector sat down with Dietary Manager D.
The inspector asked what safe temperatures for hot and cold foods looked like. The dietary manager said hot foods should run between 135 and 160 degrees. For cold foods, she gave a range of 40 to 55 degrees.
That upper end, 55 degrees, is well above the 41-degree ceiling the facility's own food safety policy requires. The inspector corrected her, explaining that cold foods needed to stay below 41 degrees, then asked whether she would expect food to be served at a safe and palatable temperature.
The dietary manager said yes, that would be her expectation.
The facility's written Food Safety Requirements policy, dated October 1, 2022, instructs staff to monitor food temperatures during holding and delivery, to keep food out of the danger zone, and to ensure timely distribution of all meals. A separate undated policy on date marking specifies that refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods requiring temperature control must be held at 41 degrees or below.
The gap between what the policies required and what the dietary manager believed to be acceptable was not a close call. Her stated upper limit for cold food was 14 degrees higher than the facility's own written standard.
Inspectors classified the deficiency as having the potential to affect more than a minimal number of residents, with a harm level of minimal harm or potential for actual harm. The violation covered food temperature and palatability, the basic expectation that what residents receive at mealtimes is safe to eat and served at a temperature that makes it worth eating.
For residents of a nursing home, many of whom rely on staff to bring every meal and have no way to check a thermometer or send something back to the kitchen, that expectation depends entirely on the people preparing and delivering the food knowing what safe looks like.
On the morning of April 3, the person responsible for overseeing dietary operations at Rivers Edge did not know the number.
The residents got their milk anyway.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Rivers Edge Nursing and Rehab from 2025-04-21 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
Editorial process: Inspection findings are extracted from CMS source documents and synthesized using AI, reviewed for factual accuracy against the original report by our editorial team.
Corrections: We strive for accuracy in everything we publish. If you believe any fact in this article is incorrect, please contact us with details, and we will review and correct it promptly.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: October 27, 2026 · Our methodology
Rivers Edge Nursing and Rehab in Muscoda, WI was cited for violations during a health inspection on April 21, 2025.
When a federal inspector sat down with a breakfast tray at Rivers Edge Nursing and Rehab on April 3, the milk registered 53.2 degrees Fahrenheit.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.