Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate Personal Hygiene 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of wearing clean protective clothing (e.g. apron, coat) in a food preparation area?
- To satisfy customer expectations of professional appearance only
- To prevent contamination of food from personal clothing and to protect the food handler's own clothes (Correct answer)
- To comply with fire safety regulations
- To identify staff to the Food Standards Agency inspector
Correct answer: To prevent contamination of food from personal clothing and to protect the food handler's own clothes
Protective clothing prevents contamination of food from fibres, bacteria, or other materials on personal clothing, and also protects the handler's own clothes from food soiling.
Question 2: Hair nets or hats are worn by food handlers primarily to:
- Meet health and safety regulations for PPE
- Prevent hair from physically contaminating food (Correct answer)
- Demonstrate professional standards to customers
- Reduce the risk of chemical contamination
Correct answer: Prevent hair from physically contaminating food
Hair nets and hats are worn to prevent hair from falling into food (physical contamination) and to reduce the transfer of bacteria from the scalp to food.
Question 3: A food handler returns from a smoking break. What must they do before handling food again?
- Simply return to work after 5 minutes
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water (Correct answer)
- Apply hand sanitiser gel only
- Change their apron only
Correct answer: Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water
After smoking, hands must be washed thoroughly with soap and water to remove bacteria and nicotine residue before returning to food handling. Hand sanitiser alone is insufficient.
Question 4: Which of the following illnesses requires a food handler to report to their supervisor AND be excluded from food handling?
- A mild cold with no gastrointestinal symptoms
- Typhoid fever (Correct answer)
- A sprained ankle
- Mild seasonal allergies
Correct answer: Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever is a notifiable disease caused by Salmonella Typhi. A food handler with typhoid must be excluded from all food handling and reported, as it can be transmitted through food.
Question 5: What should a food handler do if they notice a colleague has an infected skin lesion on their hand?
- Ignore it as it is not their responsibility
- Inform the supervisor so the colleague can be assessed and excluded if necessary (Correct answer)
- Ask the colleague to wear extra gloves
- Cover it themselves with a blue plaster
Correct answer: Inform the supervisor so the colleague can be assessed and excluded if necessary
An infected skin lesion can harbour Staphylococcus aureus. The correct action is to inform the supervisor so the colleague can be properly assessed and excluded from food handling if required.
Question 6: Why is eating, drinking, or chewing gum prohibited in food preparation areas?
- It reduces worker productivity
- It can introduce bacteria from the mouth and saliva into the food environment (Correct answer)
- It is a fire hazard
- It contaminates the air conditioning system
Correct answer: It can introduce bacteria from the mouth and saliva into the food environment
Eating, drinking, or chewing gum in food preparation areas can introduce oral bacteria (e.g. Staphylococcus aureus) and physical contaminants (food particles, gum) into the food environment.
Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate Personal Hygiene 2
What is the purpose of wearing clean protective clothing (e.g. apron, coat) in a food preparation area?