Food Safety Flashcards

What temperature should the water be for manual dishwashing?

Answer: 110 degrees

For manual dishwashing, the wash water in the first sink compartment should be at least 110°F (43°C). This hot water helps to effectively loosen food particles and grease from dishes before they are rinsed and then sanitized. Maintaining this temperature is essential for proper cleaning.

What organization requires a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) to be included with hazardous chemicals?

Answer: Occupational Safety and Health Administration

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), now often referred to as Safety Data Sheets (SDS), be provided by manufacturers for hazardous chemicals. These sheets contain vital information about the chemical's hazards, safe handling, storage, and emergency procedures, ensuring workplace safety for employees.

What must staff members do when transferring chemicals to a new container?

Answer: label the container

When transferring chemicals to a new container, it is critical to immediately label the new container with the common name of the chemical. This prevents accidental misuse, ensures proper identification, and helps staff understand the contents, especially if the original container's label is not present. This is a fundamental safety practice.

What temperature must a high-temperature dishwasher's final sanitizing rinse be?

Answer: 180 degrees

High-temperature dishwashers rely on heat to sanitize dishes and utensils. A final sanitizing rinse temperature of 180°F (82°C) is required at the manifold to effectively kill pathogens. This high temperature ensures that the surface of the items reaches at least 160°F (71°C) for the necessary duration to eliminate harmful microorganisms.

What must food handlers do when handling ready-to-eat food?

Answer: Wear single-use gloves

When handling ready-to-eat food, it is crucial to prevent direct bare-hand contact to avoid transferring pathogens from hands to the food. Wearing single-use gloves creates a barrier, minimizing the risk of contamination. This practice helps ensure food safety and prevents the spread of foodborne illnesses.

Why are people who take certain medications at risk for foodborne illness?

Answer: Their immune systems are compromised

People taking certain medications are considered a highly susceptible population because their immune systems may be compromised. A weakened immune system makes them less able to fight off pathogens, increasing their risk of developing a foodborne illness. Therefore, extra precautions are necessary when serving food to these individuals.

What should be done with a package of flour that is received with signs of dampness on the bag?

Answer: Reject the flour and return it to the supplier

A package of flour with signs of dampness indicates potential moisture contamination. Moisture can lead to mold growth, spoilage, and attract pests, making the food unsafe for consumption. Therefore, the flour should be rejected immediately and returned to the supplier to prevent introducing contaminated products into the operation.

Which responsibility is included in the Food and Drug Administration's role?

Answer: Regulating food transported across state lines

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is primarily responsible for regulating food that is transported across state lines, as well as food service operations and retail food stores. This includes developing the FDA Food Code, which provides recommendations for food safety regulations. Other agencies, like the USDA, inspect meat, poultry, and eggs.

What is the minimum internal temperature hot food must be held at to prevent pathogens from growing?

Answer: 135o F (57o C)

To prevent the rapid growth of pathogens, hot food must be held at a minimum internal temperature of 135°F (57°C) or higher. This temperature is above the temperature danger zone, where bacteria multiply most rapidly. Maintaining this temperature ensures that food remains safe for consumption during service.

What should staff do when receiving a delivery of food and supplies?

Answer: Visually inspect all food items

Upon receiving a delivery of food and supplies, staff must visually inspect all food items immediately. This allows for checking temperatures, packaging integrity, signs of pest infestation, and overall quality. Prompt inspection ensures that only safe and acceptable products are brought into the operation, preventing potential food safety hazards.

How should staff make sure the chemical sanitizer being used on a food-prep surface is at the correct strength?

Answer: Use a test kit to check the sanitizer's concentration when mixing it

To ensure a chemical sanitizer is effective, its concentration must be at the correct level as recommended by the manufacturer. Using a test kit is the only reliable way to accurately measure the sanitizer's concentration when mixing it. Too weak, and it won't kill pathogens; too strong, and it could be unsafe or leave residue.

A tuna salad is removed from the cooler at 9:00 a.m. and put out for a buffet at 11:00 a.m. By what time must the tuna salad be served or thrown out?

Answer: 3:00 p.m.

When cold food, like tuna salad, is held without temperature control, it can be held for a maximum of six hours, provided its temperature does not exceed 70°F (21°C). Since the tuna salad was removed at 9:00 a.m., adding six hours means it must be served or thrown out by 3:00 p.m.

When can raw, unpackaged meat be offered for self-service?

Answer: At Mongolian barbeques

Generally, raw, unpackaged meat should not be offered for self-service due to the high risk of cross-contamination. However, an exception is made for establishments like Mongolian barbeques, where the raw meat is intended to be cooked immediately by the customer as part of the dining experience. This direct cooking mitigates the risk.

What rule for serving condiments should be practiced?

Answer: Serve condiments in original containers

To prevent contamination and ensure food safety, condiments should be served in their original containers or in containers designed to prevent contamination. Combining leftover condiments with fresh ones or leaving open containers exposed can introduce pathogens. Using original containers helps maintain product integrity and reduces handling.

Bulk unpackaged food in self-service areas must be labeled when

Answer: the manufacturer claims the food is healthy

Bulk unpackaged food in self-service areas must be labeled if a manufacturer claims the food is healthy, nutritious, or makes other health claims. This ensures consumers have accurate information about the product. While other factors like preparation location are important, health claims specifically trigger labeling requirements for bulk food.

The temperature of calm chowder is checked during holdings. According to the operation's policy, the chowder must be thrown out. What HACCP principle is being practiced by throwing out the soop?

Answer: Corrective action

Throwing out the chowder because it failed to meet holding temperature standards is an example of a corrective action. In a HACCP system, a corrective action is taken when monitoring indicates that a critical limit has been violated. This step ensures that unsafe food is removed from service and prevents potential foodborne illness.

Which process requires a variance from the regulatory authority?

Answer: Sprouting seeds or beans

Sprouting seeds or beans is a process that requires a variance from the regulatory authority because it carries a high risk of pathogen growth. The warm, moist conditions ideal for sprouting are also ideal for bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli. A variance ensures that the operation has a HACCP plan in place to manage these risks.

What information must be included on the label of a container of ready-to-eat TCS food prepped on-site for retail sale?

Answer: Potential allergens

When ready-to-eat TCS food is prepped on-site for retail sale, its label must include potential allergens. This is crucial for consumer safety, allowing individuals with food allergies to make informed choices and avoid severe allergic reactions. Other information like ingredients, date, and name of food are also required.

What should be done with food that has been handled by a food handler who has been restricted or excluded from the operation due to illness?

Answer: throw it out

If a food handler has been restricted or excluded from the operation due to illness, any food they have handled is considered contaminated. To prevent the spread of foodborne illness, this food must be immediately thrown out. Reheating or reconditioning is not sufficient to ensure safety in such cases.

What should a food handler do with food after it is thawed in the microwave?

Answer: cook it using conventional cooking equipment

When food is thawed in a microwave, it must be cooked immediately using conventional cooking equipment. This is because microwave thawing can create 'hot spots' where parts of the food begin to cook, potentially bringing the food into the temperature danger zone. Immediate cooking ensures pathogens are destroyed.