Food Safety and Quality Flashcards

Under the FDA Food Code, cooked TCS food must be cooled from 135°F to 70°F within how many hours?

Answer: 2 hours

The Food Code's two-stage cooling requires 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then to 41°F within 4 more hours.

What is the minimum internal cooking temperature for poultry, stuffed meats and stuffed pasta under the FDA Food Code?

Answer: 165°F for less than 1 second (instantaneous)

Poultry and stuffed foods must reach 165°F, which achieves instantaneous kill of Salmonella.

Which pathogen is of greatest concern in refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods because it can grow at 41°F or below?

Answer: Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is psychrotrophic and can multiply at refrigeration temperatures.

Which of the following is one of the nine major food allergens recognized in the United States since 2023?

Answer: Sesame

The FASTER Act added sesame as the ninth major allergen, effective January 1, 2023.

Below which pH can Clostridium botulinum spores no longer germinate and grow?

Answer: 4.6

C. botulinum is inhibited at pH 4.6 and below, which is the basis for the acidified food threshold.

What does a validated 5-log reduction mean?

Answer: A 99.999% reduction in target pathogens

Each log is a tenfold reduction, so 5-log equals a 99.999% reduction.

Which is the correct term for physically cleaning a surface to remove visible soil BEFORE applying a sanitizer?

Answer: Cleaning

Cleaning removes soil and debris, which is required first because organic matter inactivates sanitizers.