Food Hygiene Fundamentals Flashcards

What are the three types of food contamination hazards?

Answer: Biological (bacteria, viruses), chemical (cleaning agents, pesticides), and physical (hair, glass, metal)

Food can be contaminated biologically (pathogens), chemically (cleaning agents, pesticides, allergens), or physically (foreign objects like hair, glass, metal fragments, insects).

When should food handlers wash their hands?

Answer: Before handling food, after using the toilet, after handling raw food, after touching face/hair, after handling rubbish, after smoking, and after a break

Hands must be washed at multiple critical points throughout the working day. Any activity that could introduce contamination requires handwashing before touching food again.

What personal hygiene standards must food handlers maintain in Singapore?

Answer: Clean uniform/apron, hair restraint (cap/net), short clean nails without nail polish, no jewellery (except plain band), no smoking in food areas, and reporting illness

Singapore requires food handlers to maintain high personal hygiene: clean attire, hair covering, trimmed nails, no jewellery (bacteria harbours), no smoking near food, and mandatory illness reporting.

What should a food handler do if they are ill with diarrhoea or vomiting?

Answer: Stop handling food immediately, report the illness to the supervisor, and only return to food handling after being symptom-free for at least 48 hours

SFA requires food handlers with symptoms of food-borne illness (diarrhoea, vomiting, fever) to stop work immediately and report their condition. They must be symptom-free for 48 hours before resuming food handling.

What is the '2-hour/4-hour' rule for potentially hazardous food?

Answer: Food in the danger zone for less than 2 hours can be refrigerated; between 2-4 hours must be consumed immediately; beyond 4 hours must be discarded

This time-temperature management rule is critical in Singapore's heat: food at room temperature for under 2 hours can be refrigerated safely; 2-4 hours must be used immediately; beyond 4 hours, discard it.

What is a 'food-borne illness' (food poisoning)?

Answer: An illness caused by consuming food or beverages contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, viruses, parasites, or their toxins

Food-borne illness results from eating food contaminated with harmful microorganisms or their toxins. Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, and fever.