Parasites and Viruses
This type of pathogen requires a host to live and reproduce.
What is a parasite?
These single-celled organisms can grow rapidly when conditions are right.
What are bacteria?
This is the number of major food allergens recognized in the U.S.
What is 9?
This is an illness carried or transmitted to people by food.
What is a foodborne illness?
In ALERT, this letter reminds managers to make sure products come from safe sources.
What is A – Assure?
This virus is commonly linked with ready-to-eat food and contaminated water.
What is Hepatitis A?
These six conditions help bacteria grow: Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen, and Moisture.
What is FAT TOM?
Milk, eggs, and peanuts are examples of these.
What are major food allergens?
These groups include preschool-age children, older adults, and people with compromised immune systems.
Who are high-risk populations?
This ALERT letter means monitoring the security of products in the facility.
What is L – Look?
This virus is highly contagious and is commonly associated with infected food handlers.
What is Norovirus?
Most bacteria need food with this pH range to grow well.
What is slightly acidic to neutral (about 4.6–7.5)?
Using the same knife to cut a peanut butter sandwich and then a turkey sandwich without cleaning it could cause this.
What is allergen cross-contact?
This term describes two or more people having similar symptoms after eating the same food, when an investigation points to the food as the source.
What is a foodborne-illness outbreak?
This ALERT letter reminds employees to know who is in the facility.
What is E – Employees?
Seafood from contaminated water can transmit this virus, which can also be spread by infected food handlers.
What is Hepatitis A?
A restaurant leaves cooked rice at room temperature for several hours. The bacterial growth risk increased because of these two FAT TOM conditions.
What are time and temperature?
A customer tells a server they have a severe egg allergy. This should be communicated to this person or role before the meal is prepared.
Who is the chef or person preparing the food?
Purchasing from unsafe sources, failing to cook food correctly, holding food at incorrect temperatures, using contaminated equipment, and poor personal hygiene are examples of these.
What are common risk factors for foodborne illness?
In ALERT, this letter means keeping information about food defense accessible.
What is R – Reports?
Unlike bacteria, viruses cannot reproduce in food. They require this to reproduce.
What is a living host?
A food has moisture, nutrients, a neutral pH, and is held in the temperature danger zone for several hours. These conditions make it ideal for this.
What is bacterial growth?
A cook removes walnuts from a salad after learning the customer has a tree-nut allergy and serves the same salad. This unsafe action fails because of this.
What is allergen cross-contact?
A cook handles raw chicken and then prepares lettuce without washing their hands. This creates this major food-safety risk.
What is cross-contamination?
A manager discovers a broken lock on a food-storage area and immediately investigates and corrects the problem. This represents the final letter of ALERT.
What is T – Threat?