ServSafe HACCP System Implementation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A food establishment's HACCP plan identifies hot holding as a CCP with a critical limit of 135°F (57°C). A soup is found at 128°F. What is the FIRST corrective action?
- Reheat the soup to 165°F (74°C) within 2 hours (Correct answer)
- Discard the soup immediately without checking temperature
- Lower the hot-holding unit set point
- Move the soup to the walk-in cooler
Correct answer: Reheat the soup to 165°F (74°C) within 2 hours
Food that has fallen below 135°F in hot holding must be rapidly reheated to 165°F within 2 hours to destroy any pathogens that may have grown.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of a prerequisite program that supports a HACCP plan?
- Pest control procedures (Correct answer)
- Decision tree analysis
- Hazard analysis worksheet
- Critical control point identification
Correct answer: Pest control procedures
Prerequisite programs like pest control, personal hygiene, and sanitation provide the foundational conditions needed for HACCP to function effectively.
Question 3: When using a decision tree to identify CCPs, which question is asked FIRST?
- Do control measures exist for the identified hazard? (Correct answer)
- Will the hazard increase to an unacceptable level?
- Is there a subsequent step that will eliminate the hazard?
- Is the step specifically designed to eliminate the hazard?
Correct answer: Do control measures exist for the identified hazard?
The first decision tree question asks whether control measures exist for the hazard, establishing if any intervention is possible at that step.
Question 4: HACCP record-keeping serves which critical purpose during a regulatory inspection?
- Demonstrating that the food safety system is being monitored and controlled (Correct answer)
- Showing sales trends and profitability
- Tracking employee attendance and scheduling
- Listing vendor contracts and pricing agreements
Correct answer: Demonstrating that the food safety system is being monitored and controlled
HACCP records provide documented evidence that CCPs are being monitored and that corrective actions are taken when critical limits are exceeded.
Question 5: A food safety manager revises a HACCP plan after adding a new cooking step. This action is part of which HACCP principle?
- Verification (Correct answer)
- Hazard analysis
- Corrective action
- Record keeping
Correct answer: Verification
Verification includes periodic reassessment and updating of the HACCP plan to reflect changes in the operation, ingredients, or processes.
Question 6: Which scenario describes a biological hazard that would be identified during HACCP hazard analysis for raw oysters?
- Vibrio parahaemolyticus contamination from harvest waters (Correct answer)
- Metal fragments from shucking equipment
- Excess sodium from brine solution
- Ammonia residue from refrigeration units
Correct answer: Vibrio parahaemolyticus contamination from harvest waters
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the primary biological hazard associated with raw shellfish and must be addressed in the HACCP plan for oysters.
Question 7: A HACCP team determines that a step is NOT a CCP because a later cooking step will destroy the hazard. This decision is based on which concept?
- The hazard will be controlled at a subsequent step in the process (Correct answer)
- The hazard is not considered serious enough to monitor
- The step requires too many resources to monitor
- The hazard analysis was not thorough enough
Correct answer: The hazard will be controlled at a subsequent step in the process
If a downstream step (such as cooking) will eliminate the hazard, an earlier step may not need to be designated a CCP, as control is achieved later in the process.
ServSafe HACCP System Implementation 5
A food establishment's HACCP plan identifies hot holding as a CCP with a critical limit of 135°F (57°C).
A soup is found at 128°F.
What is the FIRST corrective action?