Federal inspectors observed the violations during dinner preparation on December 18. At 5:15 PM, the worker placed food containers on top of a cutting board and knife used for chopping mechanical diets. Two minutes later, he removed the containers and began chopping vegetables and cooked chicken without cleaning or sanitizing the board and knife.
The contamination continued throughout meal service. At 5:19 PM, the worker placed a sauce container back onto the cutting knife lying on the board, served sauce on top of chicken and vegetables, then returned the container to the heating cart without cleaning the equipment.
One minute later, he placed a drinking straw on the same contaminated cutting board, filled a cup with liquid food, and inserted the straw before serving it to a resident.
The violations escalated at 5:24 PM when the worker again placed the sauce container from the heating cart onto the flat surface of the cutting knife. He used the same unwashed knife to cut cooked noodles and chicken breast, then used the knife's flat surface to scoop the cut food onto a resident's plate for service.
Inspectors observed no cleaning or sanitizing of the cutting board and knife during the entire tray line service, which ended at 5:42 PM.
When confronted, the worker defended his practices. He stated containers are cleaned before use and claimed he wasn't cross-contaminating surfaces. Asked if the cutting board and knife should have been cleaned between uses when containers were placed on them, he admitted "they could have been, but it is not what he normally does."
The Kitchen Manager acknowledged the violations the next day, confirming the worker should have placed containers on the countertop rather than on cutting equipment, and that boards and knives should be cleaned and sanitized after contact with food containers.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Terraces of Boise, The from 2025-12-19 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.