CFPM Food Worker Health & Hygiene 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which action by a food worker is considered an improper hygiene practice that can lead to foodborne illness?
- Using tongs to serve bread rolls
- Tasting food with a clean spoon and then placing the spoon back into the food (Correct answer)
- Wearing a hair restraint while working on the cook line
- Washing hands after handling raw meat
Correct answer: Tasting food with a clean spoon and then placing the spoon back into the food
Using a tasting spoon and returning it to the food introduces oral bacteria directly into the food product, which is an unsafe practice.
Question 2: Which of the following is an acceptable practice for a food worker with a mild respiratory illness like a common cold?
- Working only with packaged foods and not handling open food
- Sneezing into the bend of the elbow, then washing hands before resuming food contact (Correct answer)
- Wearing a surgical mask and continuing normal duties without other precautions
- Being excluded from the establishment until fully recovered
Correct answer: Sneezing into the bend of the elbow, then washing hands before resuming food contact
Sneezing into the elbow and immediately washing hands is an acceptable practice for mild respiratory illness that does not require exclusion.
Question 3: A food worker eats a snack in the kitchen during a slow period. Why is this a hygiene violation?
- It wastes time that should be spent working
- Eating in food prep areas can transfer oral bacteria and pathogens to food and surfaces (Correct answer)
- It is only a violation if the food is not from the restaurant
- Eating causes workers to touch their faces more frequently
Correct answer: Eating in food prep areas can transfer oral bacteria and pathogens to food and surfaces
Eating in food preparation areas introduces oral bacteria and creates the potential for food and surface contamination from hands and mouth contact.
Question 4: A food worker who is an asymptomatic carrier of Salmonella Typhi (typhoid fever) applies for a food handling position. What should the employer do?
- Hire them but restrict them to non-food-contact positions only
- Exclude them from working as a food employee until they have documentation of non-infectivity (Correct answer)
- Allow them to work if they agree to extra handwashing
- Hire them with no restrictions since they show no symptoms
Correct answer: Exclude them from working as a food employee until they have documentation of non-infectivity
Asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella Typhi must be excluded from working as food employees until medical documentation confirms they are no longer infectious.
Question 5: During which of the following activities must a food worker always wash hands?
- Between handling different types of packaged dry goods
- After touching their face, hair, or body while working (Correct answer)
- After handling properly stored frozen foods
- Before refilling condiment containers that are not expired
Correct answer: After touching their face, hair, or body while working
Touching the face, hair, or body during food preparation contaminates hands with skin flora and must be followed immediately by handwashing.
Question 6: Which statement about hand sanitizers in food service is correct?
- Hand sanitizers are an effective replacement for handwashing after using the restroom
- Hand sanitizers should be used in addition to handwashing, not as a substitute (Correct answer)
- Hand sanitizers are only effective against bacteria, not viruses like norovirus
- Hand sanitizers must be used before every glove application instead of handwashing
Correct answer: Hand sanitizers should be used in addition to handwashing, not as a substitute
Hand sanitizers are a supplement to handwashing, not a replacement, especially since they are ineffective against some pathogens and do not remove soils.
Question 7: A food establishment serves a highly susceptible population (HSP). How does this affect the health policy for food workers?
- The same standard health policy applies regardless of the customer population
- Stricter exclusion criteria apply, including restricting workers with sore throat and fever even if not diagnosed (Correct answer)
- Workers at HSP facilities must be vaccinated for all Big 6 pathogens
- Workers must wear double gloves at all times when serving HSP customers
Correct answer: Stricter exclusion criteria apply, including restricting workers with sore throat and fever even if not diagnosed
When serving highly susceptible populations such as elderly, immunocompromised, or young children, the FDA Food Code requires stricter exclusion criteria including sore throat with fever.
CFPM Food Worker Health & Hygiene 5
Which action by a food worker is considered an improper hygiene practice that can lead to foodborne illness?