BREVARD, NC — Federal health inspectors identified food safety deficiencies at Transylvania Regional Hospital during a standard health inspection on November 25, 2025, finding the facility failed to meet professional standards for food procurement, storage, preparation, and service. The facility has not submitted a plan of correction.
Food Handling Standards Not Met
The inspection revealed that Transylvania Regional Hospital did not adequately procure food from approved sources or handle food in accordance with established professional standards. The deficiency, cited under federal regulatory tag F0812, covers the full chain of food safety — from sourcing and storage through preparation, distribution, and serving.
The violation was classified at Scope/Severity Level E, indicating a pattern of noncompliance rather than an isolated incident. While inspectors documented no actual harm to residents at the time of the survey, the pattern carried potential for more than minimal harm.
This food safety citation was one of two deficiencies identified during the inspection.
Why Food Safety Standards Exist in Healthcare Facilities
Federal food safety requirements for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities exist because the populations they serve are among the most vulnerable to foodborne illness. Elderly patients, post-surgical patients, and individuals with compromised immune systems face significantly higher risks from bacterial contamination, improper food temperatures, and cross-contamination during preparation.
Proper food sourcing ensures that ingredients come from inspected, regulated suppliers rather than unapproved vendors where contamination risks are unknown. Storage requirements mandate specific temperature ranges — refrigerated foods must be kept at or below 41°F and hot foods held at 135°F or above — to prevent the rapid bacterial growth that occurs in the "danger zone" between those temperatures.
Food preparation standards require staff to follow protocols including proper handwashing, use of separate cutting surfaces for raw proteins and ready-to-eat foods, and accurate cooking temperatures. Distribution and service standards ensure that meals reach patients at safe temperatures and within appropriate timeframes.
When these standards break down in a pattern — as the Level E designation indicates occurred at Transylvania Regional Hospital — the risk of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, and Clostridium perfringens increases. For healthy adults, these pathogens may cause temporary gastrointestinal distress. For hospitalized patients, they can trigger severe dehydration, sepsis, and in some cases, death.
No Correction Plan on File
Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the inspection findings is that Transylvania Regional Hospital has not filed a plan of correction. Federal regulations require facilities cited for deficiencies to submit a detailed corrective action plan outlining specific steps to address each violation, assign responsible staff members, and establish completion timelines.
The absence of a correction plan means there is no documented commitment from the facility to address the food safety gaps identified by inspectors. Under the federal survey process, facilities that fail to submit acceptable correction plans face potential escalation of enforcement actions, which can include directed plans of correction, civil monetary penalties, or other sanctions.
What a Proper Response Looks Like
Industry best practices call for facilities to respond to food safety citations with immediate corrective measures, including retraining of dietary staff on safe food handling protocols, auditing supplier certifications, calibrating food storage thermometers, and implementing monitoring logs for food temperatures at every stage from receiving through service.
Facilities operating at the standard of care typically maintain Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans that identify potential food safety risks and establish preventive controls at each critical juncture.
Broader Context
Food safety deficiencies remain among the most commonly cited violations in healthcare facility inspections nationwide. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has emphasized dietary standards as a core component of resident safety, and repeated or unaddressed food handling violations can factor into a facility's overall star rating and public quality metrics.
Transylvania Regional Hospital's full inspection results, including all deficiency details, are available through the CMS Care Compare database and on NursingHomeNews.org, where readers can review the complete survey findings and track whether a correction plan is eventually submitted.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Transylvania Regional Hospital from 2025-11-25 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
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