415C Food Safety 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the minimum internal cooking temperature for ground beef according to Canadian food safety guidelines?
- 63°C (145°F)
- 68°C (155°F)
- 71°C (160°F) (Correct answer)
- 74°C (165°F)
Correct answer: 71°C (160°F)
Health Canada recommends cooking ground beef to a minimum internal temperature of 71°C (160°F). Ground meats require higher temperatures than whole cuts because bacteria from the surface can be mixed throughout during grinding.
Question 2: What is the minimum internal cooking temperature for poultry (chicken, turkey) in Canada?
- 63°C (145°F)
- 68°C (155°F)
- 71°C (160°F)
- 74°C (165°F) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 74°C (165°F)
Health Canada requires poultry to reach a minimum internal temperature of 74°C (165°F) to ensure destruction of salmonella and other pathogens commonly found in poultry products.
Question 3: How long should food workers wash their hands according to Canadian food safety standards?
- 5 seconds
- 10 seconds
- 20 seconds (Correct answer)
- 60 seconds
Correct answer: 20 seconds
Canadian food safety guidelines require handwashing for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap, ensuring all surfaces of the hands, between fingers, and under nails are thoroughly cleaned. This is the time needed to effectively remove pathogens.
Question 4: What is the correct storage order for foods in a walk-in refrigerator from top to bottom shelf?
- Raw poultry on top, ready-to-eat foods on bottom
- Ready-to-eat foods on top, then cooked foods, then raw vegetables, then raw meats with poultry on the bottom (Correct answer)
- All foods can be stored on any shelf if properly wrapped
- Heaviest items on top, lightest on bottom
Correct answer: Ready-to-eat foods on top, then cooked foods, then raw vegetables, then raw meats with poultry on the bottom
Proper refrigerator storage places ready-to-eat foods on the highest shelves, followed by cooked foods, then raw vegetables, raw ground meats, and raw poultry on the lowest shelf. This prevents juices from raw meats dripping onto foods that won't be cooked further.
Question 5: In Canada, what are the 10 priority food allergens that must be declared on food labels?
- They include eggs, milk, mustard, peanuts, crustaceans/molluscs, fish, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, tree nuts, and wheat/triticale (Correct answer)
- Only peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish need to be declared
- Only 5 allergens are priority in Canada: peanuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy
- Canada does not have mandatory allergen labelling requirements
Correct answer: They include eggs, milk, mustard, peanuts, crustaceans/molluscs, fish, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, tree nuts, and wheat/triticale
Canada identifies priority food allergens including eggs, milk, mustard, peanuts, crustaceans and molluscs, fish, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, tree nuts, and wheat and triticale. These must be declared in plain language on food labels under Health Canada regulations.
Question 6: What is a food recall in Canada and which agency is responsible for issuing them?
- A voluntary return of food by consumers; managed by provincial health units
- A removal of unsafe food from sale; issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) (Correct answer)
- A restaurant inspection failure; managed by municipal health departments
- A customer complaint process; handled by the Competition Bureau
Correct answer: A removal of unsafe food from sale; issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
A food recall is the removal from sale and distribution of a food product that may pose a health risk. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for issuing food recalls and working with companies to remove affected products from the marketplace.
415C Food Safety 2
What is the minimum internal cooking temperature for ground beef according to Canadian food safety guidelines?