Control the Bug
What is a pathogen?
Harmful or illness-causing microorganism
Name four times when food handlers should wash their hands (other than at the start of a shift).
Hands should be washed before putting on gloves when starting a new task. Hands should be washed after: using the restroom; touching hair, face, body, clothing; sneezing, coughing; handling chemicals; taking out garbage; cleaning tables; handling money; handling raw meat; handling service animals
Why would you use one set of equipment for raw meat and another set of equipment for ready-to-eat food?
To prevent cross-contamination.
What is the maximum internal temperature for holding cold TCS food?
Cold TCS food must be held at a maximum of 41 degrees F.
Should a food handler accept a shipment of frozen shrimp that has ice crystals on the package? Why or why not?
The shrimp should be rejected, because ice crystals may indicate thawing and refreezing of the product.
What are the two factors that you can control to reduce the growth of bacteria?
Time and Temperature
Describe the five steps of handwashing.
Wet hands and arms with running water at least 100 degrees; apply soap and build a lather; scrub hands and arms for 10 to 15 seconds; rinse thoroughly under warm water; dry hands and arms with a single-use paper towel or hand dryer
What is the temperature danger zone?
The temperature range from 41 degrees F to 135 degrees F, in which pathogens grow well
Name two ways to avoid bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food.
Use single-use gloves.
Use deli sheets.
Use tools such as tongs or spatulas.
True or False: Receiving cut tomatoes at room temperature is acceptable. Why or why not?
False. Cut tomatoes are considered TCS food and must be received at a temperature of 41 degrees F or lower.
True or False: Cooking destroys viruses.
False, normal cooking temperatures do not destroy viruses.
What must a food handler do before putting on gloves when starting a new task?
Wash hands
Name three items that must not be used to misrepresent the appearance of food.
Food or color additives
Colored overwraps
Lights
What part of dishes and utensils must servers avoid touching?
The food-contact surface, such as the top of a plate or the rim of a glass.
What is the best way to take the receiving temperature of packages of vacuum-packed bacon?
Insert the thermometer stem or probe between two packages.
Salmonella Typhi is most often linked with which types of food?
Ready-to-eat food and beverages
What is the correct way to care for an infected wound on a food handler's hand?
Cover wound with an impermeable cover and place a single-use glove over the cover.
List the minimum internal cooking temperatures for poultry, ground pork, and pork chops.
Poultry: 165 degrees F for 15 seconds
Ground Pork: 155 degrees F for 15 seconds
Pork Chops: 145 degrees F for 15 seconds
What are the only types of food that may be re-served to another customer?
In general, you may re-serve only unopened, prepackaged food in good condition. These include condiment packets and wrapped crackers, as well as, bottles of condiments.
What must be done to all ready-to-eat TCS food that is prepped in-house and held longer than 24 hours?
The food must be date marked. The mark must indicate when the food must be sold, eaten, or thrown out.
What are two actions you can take to prevent the spread of viruses?
Quickly remove and clean up vomit in the operation.
Purchase shellfish from approved, reputable suppliers.
Practice good personal hygiene.
How should a manager respond to a food handler who has vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice for seven day or less?
Exclude the food handler from the operation.
What is the minimum internal temperature that TCS food must reach when it is being reheated for hot-holding?
Within two hours, the food must reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F for 15 seconds.
List all the conditions that must be met to hold hot TCS food without temperature control.
Hold the food at 135 degrees F before removing from temperature control.
Label the food with the time you must throw it out (4 hours later).
Sell, serve, or throw out the food within 4 hours.
Define FIFO and explain why it is used.
FIFO stands for first in, first out. Food items must be rotated so that those with the earliest use-by or expiration dates are used before items with later dates.