ServSafe Certification HACCP: The Seven Principles for Food Safety 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A seafood processing facility checks the temperature of refrigerated fish every two hours. Which HACCP principle does this activity represent?
- Verification
- Corrective actions
- Monitoring procedures (Correct answer)
- Hazard analysis
Correct answer: Monitoring procedures
Monitoring procedures (Principle 4) describe how and how often CCPs will be observed or measured to ensure critical limits are being met.
Question 2: Which term describes a step in the food production process where a control measure can be applied to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard?
- Standard operating procedure
- Critical control point (Correct answer)
- Prerequisite program
- Corrective action
Correct answer: Critical control point
A critical control point (CCP) is a specific step where a control measure is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level.
Question 3: What is the FIRST step in developing a HACCP plan?
- Identify critical control points
- Conduct a hazard analysis (Correct answer)
- Establish monitoring procedures
- Determine corrective actions
Correct answer: Conduct a hazard analysis
The hazard analysis (Principle 1) is always the first step, identifying potential biological, chemical, and physical hazards in the food process.
Question 4: A restaurant uses a decision tree to evaluate each step in food preparation. What is the purpose of a CCP decision tree?
- To train staff on cooking temperatures
- To determine whether a process step is a critical control point (Correct answer)
- To document corrective actions
- To schedule employee breaks
Correct answer: To determine whether a process step is a critical control point
A CCP decision tree is a systematic tool used to evaluate each process step and determine whether it qualifies as a critical control point.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of a chemical hazard that would be identified during a HACCP hazard analysis?
- Bone fragments in fish
- E. coli in ground beef
- Pesticide residue on produce (Correct answer)
- Norovirus on ready-to-eat food
Correct answer: Pesticide residue on produce
Pesticide residue is a chemical hazard; bone fragments are physical hazards, while E. coli and Norovirus are biological hazards.
Question 6: After a HACCP system is implemented, who is responsible for verifying that the system is working correctly?
- Line cooks only
- Delivery drivers
- Trained food safety personnel or management (Correct answer)
- Health department inspectors only
Correct answer: Trained food safety personnel or management
Verification (Principle 6) is performed by trained food safety personnel or management to confirm the HACCP plan is effectively controlling hazards.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes a prerequisite program in relation to a HACCP plan?
- A CCP used exclusively for biological hazards
- A foundational food safety practice that supports the HACCP system (Correct answer)
- A corrective action taken after a critical limit is violated
- A government regulation replacing HACCP requirements
Correct answer: A foundational food safety practice that supports the HACCP system
Prerequisite programs, such as sanitation and pest control, are foundational practices that create the environment necessary for a HACCP system to work effectively.
ServSafe Certification HACCP: The Seven Principles for Food Safety 3
A seafood processing facility checks the temperature of refrigerated fish every two hours.
Which HACCP principle does this activity represent?