ACF Food Safety and Sanitation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Norovirus is best prevented in a foodservice setting by:
- Cooking all foods to 165°F
- Excluding ill food handlers and enforcing proper handwashing (Correct answer)
- Using only chlorine-based sanitizers
- Maintaining refrigerator temperatures below 41°F
Correct answer: Excluding ill food handlers and enforcing proper handwashing
Norovirus spreads primarily through infected food handlers, so exclusion of sick workers and rigorous handwashing are the most effective controls.
Question 2: A food worker develops vomiting and diarrhea before their shift. According to the FDA Food Code, the manager should:
- Allow the worker to work if they wear gloves
- Restrict the worker to non-food-contact duties
- Exclude the worker from the operation entirely (Correct answer)
- Allow the worker to work if they take medication
Correct answer: Exclude the worker from the operation entirely
Workers with vomiting or diarrhea must be excluded from the operation entirely because these symptoms indicate potential fecal-oral pathogen transmission.
Question 3: What does FIFO stand for in food storage management?
- First In, First Out (Correct answer)
- Food Inspection Follow-up Order
- First Inventory, Final Output
- Fresh Items, Frozen Options
Correct answer: First In, First Out
FIFO (First In, First Out) means older stock is used before newer stock to minimize spoilage and ensure food quality.
Question 4: Which type of thermometer is NOT appropriate for measuring the internal temperature of a thick roast?
- Thermocouple
- Bimetallic stemmed thermometer
- Infrared thermometer (Correct answer)
- Thermistor
Correct answer: Infrared thermometer
Infrared thermometers measure only surface temperatures and cannot detect internal temperatures of thick foods.
Question 5: When receiving a shipment of fresh fish, the flesh should be:
- Soft and slimy with a strong fishy odor
- Firm and spring back when pressed, with a mild sea odor (Correct answer)
- Slightly yellowed with a pungent smell
- Loose and falling apart at the edges
Correct answer: Firm and spring back when pressed, with a mild sea odor
Fresh fish should have firm flesh that springs back when pressed and a mild, ocean-like odor — not a strong or ammonia-like smell.
Question 6: The primary purpose of sanitizing food-contact surfaces after cleaning is to:
- Remove visible grease and food debris
- Reduce pathogens to safe levels (Correct answer)
- Improve the appearance of equipment
- Extend the shelf life of stored food
Correct answer: Reduce pathogens to safe levels
Sanitizing reduces the number of pathogens on a surface to levels considered safe for public health after cleaning has removed debris.
Question 7: Which condition allows Clostridium perfringens to most easily cause foodborne illness?
- Improper handwashing with raw poultry
- Large batches of cooked meat cooled too slowly (Correct answer)
- Contaminated raw shellfish served on ice
- Expired dairy products left at room temperature
Correct answer: Large batches of cooked meat cooled too slowly
C. perfringens thrives in large masses of cooked meat that cool slowly, allowing spores to germinate and toxins to form in the anaerobic interior.
ACF Food Safety and Sanitation 3
Norovirus is best prevented in a foodservice setting by: