Foodborne Illness, Contaminants & Allergens
What are the three major categories of food contaminants?
Biological, chemical, and physical
What is the minimum temperature water at the handwashing sink be?
85
What temperature range is known as the temperature danger zone?
41°F to 135°F
What should be used to verify that a chemical sanitizer is at the correct concentration?
The appropriate sanitizer test kit/test strips
What should employees do if they see evidence of pests in the operation?
Report it to the person in charge/manager
A server touches peanuts and then handles another guest’s plate. What is the primary concern?
Cross-contact
When may hand antiseptics be used?
After proper handwashing, if permitted by the regulatory authority
After reaching 70°F, food must cool to 41°F or lower within how much additional time?
4 hours
Where should wiping cloths used on food-contact surfaces be stored between uses?
In properly concentrated sanitizer solution
What federal agency primarily regulates meat, poultry, and processed egg products?
USDA
A guest with a shellfish allergy orders pasta. The cook removes the shrimp but uses the same pan. What is the problem?
Allergen cross-contact
A food handler has a small infected wound on their hand. What must be done before they can handle food?
Cover it with an impermeable cover and wear a single-use glove
What is the maximum total amount of time allowed to cool TCS food from 135°F to 41°F?
6 hours
A sanitizer bucket tests above the manufacturer’s required concentration. What should the employee do?
Adjust/remake the solution to the proper concentration
During an inspection, who determines whether an operation meets local food-safety requirements?
The regulatory authority
A guest tells the server they have a severe dairy allergy. The cook removes cheese from an already-prepared sandwich and serves it. What should have been done instead?
Prepare a new sandwich using clean and sanitized equipment while preventing allergen cross-contact.
A food handler reports having jaundice for several days. What should the manager do?
Exclude the employee and notify the regulatory authority as required.
A thermometer reads 32°F in ice water. What does this tell the manager?
The thermometer is correctly calibrated for the ice-point method.
A slicer used continuously for TCS food was cleaned at 8:00 a.m. It is now 12:30 p.m. What should happen?
Stop using it and clean and sanitize it.
A manager establishes 165°F as the required cooking temperature for chicken at a CCP. In HACCP terminology, what is 165°F?
A critical limit.
A guest with a food allergy asks whether a dessert contains tree nuts. The original ingredient label is unavailable. What should the employee do?
Do not serve or recommend the dessert unless its ingredients can be reliably verified.
A food handler reports a sore throat with fever. The operation serves residents of a nursing home. What should the manager do?
Exclude the food handler because the operation serves a high-risk population.
A delivery truck arrives with raw chicken at 40°F, shell eggs at 44°F, frozen fish frozen solid, and milk at 48°F. Which product should be rejected?
The milk at 48°F.
A sanitizer bucket has the correct concentration but contains visible grease and food particles. What should the manager require?
Replace the solution because contaminated sanitizer should not continue to be used.
A HACCP plan identifies a CCP and critical limit. Employees are checking the CCP but not recording their results. Which HACCP function is incomplete?
Monitoring/recordkeeping procedures.