CPFS Food Safety & Sanitation Practices 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A cafeteria serves a buffet that has been running for 4 hours. The hot-held mashed potatoes measure 120°F. What is the correct response?
- Stir the potatoes and recheck in 15 minutes
- Discard the potatoes immediately since they are below 135°F (Correct answer)
- Reheat to 165°F and return to the buffet line
- Lower the buffet heat setting and continue serving
Correct answer: Discard the potatoes immediately since they are below 135°F
Hot-held foods must stay at 135°F or above; potatoes at 120°F for an unknown time in the danger zone must be discarded, as reheating does not reverse toxin production from prior bacterial growth.
Question 2: Which waterborne pathogen is most commonly associated with contaminated municipal water supplies used in foodservice operations?
- Listeria monocytogenes
- Cryptosporidium parvum (Correct answer)
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Clostridium perfringens
Correct answer: Cryptosporidium parvum
Cryptosporidium parvum is a chlorine-resistant protozoan parasite frequently linked to waterborne outbreaks via contaminated water supplies.
Question 3: A foodservice operation receives an order of ground beef. At what temperature must it be held during cold storage?
- 45°F or below
- 41°F or below (Correct answer)
- 38°F or below
- 32°F or below
Correct answer: 41°F or below
The FDA Food Code requires all potentially hazardous foods, including ground beef, to be held at 41°F or below to slow bacterial growth.
Question 4: Which labeling requirement applies to ready-to-eat potentially hazardous food prepared on-site and held for more than 24 hours?
- The food must be labeled with preparation date and use-by date not to exceed 7 days from preparation (Correct answer)
- The food must display a color-coded sticker corresponding to the day of the week
- A HACCP log number must be attached to each container
- No labeling is required if the food is stored in a dedicated cooler
Correct answer: The food must be labeled with preparation date and use-by date not to exceed 7 days from preparation
The FDA Food Code requires RTE potentially hazardous foods held beyond 24 hours to be date-marked with a discard date not exceeding 7 days from the day of preparation.
Question 5: Which type of contamination occurs when a cleaning chemical drips from an overhead shelf onto uncovered food below?
- Biological contamination
- Physical contamination
- Chemical contamination (Correct answer)
- Radiological contamination
Correct answer: Chemical contamination
Cleaning chemicals dripping onto food represent chemical contamination, which can cause acute illness even in small quantities.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of a variance in a foodservice regulatory context?
- To exempt a facility from all food safety inspections
- To allow a process or procedure not addressed or prohibited by the standard food code (Correct answer)
- To grant a facility extra time to correct critical violations
- To permit the use of unapproved food additives
Correct answer: To allow a process or procedure not addressed or prohibited by the standard food code
A variance allows a regulatory authority to approve a non-standard process (such as curing or smoking) when the operator demonstrates it achieves equivalent safety outcomes.
Question 7: A foodservice employee washes their hands, then uses bare hands to place a lemon wedge on a water glass. Which principle of food safety has been violated?
- Time-temperature control
- No bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food (Correct answer)
- Personal protective equipment requirements
- FIFO stock rotation policy
Correct answer: No bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food
Even after handwashing, bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods like garnishes is prohibited because hands can harbor pathogens not fully eliminated by washing.
CPFS Food Safety & Sanitation Practices 4
A cafeteria serves a buffet that has been running for 4 hours.
The hot-held mashed potatoes measure 120°F.
What is the correct response?