ServSafe Preventing Cross-Contamination 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A food handler wears single-use gloves while preparing a sandwich. After touching the cash register, the handler continues making the next sandwich without changing gloves. This is a problem because:
- Gloves are only required for raw meat handling
- The gloves may now carry pathogens from the register onto the food (Correct answer)
- Cash registers must be sanitized hourly
- Single-use gloves must be changed every 30 minutes regardless
Correct answer: The gloves may now carry pathogens from the register onto the food
Non-food surfaces like cash registers harbor pathogens; gloves must be changed and hands washed whenever a food handler touches a non-food surface.
Question 2: What is the safest way to store raw fish, raw ground beef, and raw whole steaks together in a refrigerator?
- Store them all on the same shelf in airtight containers
- Store fish on top, steaks in the middle, and ground beef on the bottom shelf (Correct answer)
- Store ground beef on top, fish in the middle, and steaks on the bottom shelf
- Store whole steaks on top, ground beef in the middle, and fish on the bottom shelf
Correct answer: Store fish on top, steaks in the middle, and ground beef on the bottom shelf
Raw fish (145°F cook temp) is stored highest, whole steaks (145°F) in the middle, and ground beef (155°F) on the lowest shelf based on minimum internal cooking temperatures.
Question 3: A food handler with a minor cut on their finger covers it with a bandage. What additional precaution must they take when handling ready-to-eat foods?
- Wear a single-use glove over the bandage (Correct answer)
- Soak the finger in sanitizer before touching food
- Wash hands twice before handling food
- Avoid working with food until the cut fully heals
Correct answer: Wear a single-use glove over the bandage
A bandage alone is insufficient; a single-use glove must be worn over it to prevent the bandage from falling into food and to contain any blood-borne pathogens.
Question 4: Which scenario represents cross-contamination through equipment rather than direct food-to-food contact?
- Drips from raw chicken falling onto a vegetable tray below in the cooler
- Raw shrimp touching a pile of cooked shrimp on the same platter
- Using the same meat slicer without cleaning it between slicing salami and turkey (Correct answer)
- Thawing beef in a pan that floods into a bowl of ready-to-eat fruit
Correct answer: Using the same meat slicer without cleaning it between slicing salami and turkey
Equipment-based cross-contamination occurs when a shared tool (slicer) transfers pathogens from one food to another without being properly cleaned and sanitized in between.
Question 5: A prep cook accidentally drops a raw chicken breast on the floor, picks it up, and continues to use it. What is the correct action?
- Rinse the chicken under cold running water and continue
- Discard the chicken and clean and sanitize the floor and any contaminated surfaces (Correct answer)
- Cook the chicken immediately to an internal temperature of 165°F to kill pathogens
- Wipe the chicken with a sanitizing wipe before use
Correct answer: Discard the chicken and clean and sanitize the floor and any contaminated surfaces
Food that contacts the floor must be discarded, and all potentially contaminated surfaces must be cleaned and sanitized to prevent further spread.
Question 6: When must food handlers change their single-use gloves during food preparation?
- Only when switching between raw meat and raw poultry
- After handling money, touching their face, or switching between different food tasks (Correct answer)
- Every 60 minutes during a shift
- Only when the gloves appear visibly dirty or torn
Correct answer: After handling money, touching their face, or switching between different food tasks
Gloves must be changed whenever they could have become contaminated — including after touching non-food surfaces, the face, or switching between food types.
Question 7: A restaurant uses a color-coded system to prevent cross-contamination. A new employee uses a red (raw meat) cutting board to chop fresh herbs. The BEST immediate action is to:
- Rinse the herbs thoroughly under running water to remove any contamination
- Discard the herbs and retrain the employee on the color-coding system (Correct answer)
- Cook the herbs before use to destroy any transferred pathogens
- Wipe the board with a dry cloth before using the herbs
Correct answer: Discard the herbs and retrain the employee on the color-coding system
Herbs used on a board designated for raw meat must be discarded due to potential pathogen transfer, and the employee needs retraining to prevent recurrence.
ServSafe Preventing Cross-Contamination 5
A food handler wears single-use gloves while preparing a sandwich.
After touching the cash register, the handler continues making the next sandwich without changing gloves.
This is a problem because: