Chapter 1, ServSafe Test Study Guide

What are the 3 ways foodborne illness occurs?

1) Biological. 2) Chemical. 3) Physical.

List 4 common ways poor cleaning and sanitizing

1) Equipment and utensils are not washed, rinsed, and sanitized between uses. 2) Wiping clothes are not stored in a sanitizer solution. 3) Sanitizing solutions are prepared incorrectly and do not contain adequate levels to sanitize objects. 4) Food-contact surfaces are simply wiped clean rather than being washed, rinsed, and sanitized.

List 3 common ways food can be time-temperature abused:

1) Food is not held or stored at the correct temperature. 2) Food is not cooled correctly. 3) Food is not cooked or reheated enough to kill pathogens.

Our book lists 12 TCS foods. What are they?

1) Milk and dairy products. 2) Shell eggs (except those treated to eliminate nontyphoidal Salmonella). 3) Beef, pork and lamb. 4) Poultry. 5) Fish. 6) Shellfish and crustaceans. 7) Baked potatoes. 8) Heat-treated plant food like fried rice and beans. 9) Tofu or other soy proteins. 10) Sprouts. 11) Sliced melons, cut tomatoes, cut leafy greens. 12) Untreated garlic-and-oil mixtures.

Once we control for where our food comes from, what 4 practices can we control for within our production process to ensure safe food?

1) Prevent time-temperature abuse 2) Prevent cross contamination 3) Prevent poor personal hygiene 4) Prevent poor cleaning and sanitizing

The 5 most common ways food becomes unsafe include:

1) Purchasing food from unsafe sources. 2) Failing to cook food correctly. 3) Holding food at incorrect temperatures. 4) Using contaminated equipment. 5) Practicing poor personal hygiene.

List 5 common ways cross-contamination can occur:

1) Ready-to-eat food touches contaminated surfaces. 2) Contaminated cleaning cloths touch food-contact surfaces. 3) A food handler touches contaminated food and then touches ready-to-eat food. 4) Contaminated ingredients are added to food that receives no further cooking. 5) Contaminated food touches or drips fluids onto cooked or ready to eat food.

Which 3 groups are most at-risk for food-borne illness?

1) The elderly. 2) Preschool aged children. 3) Those with compromised immune systems (undergoing cancer treatment, transplant patients, taking drugs for autoimmune conditions).

Which of the following is NOT a biologic contaminant? A) E. Coli in hamburger meat B) Mold on bread C) Finding fish bones in a prepared, cooked, filet. D) Scromboid poisoning from histamine in sushi

C) Finding fish bones in a prepared, cooked, filet. This is a physical contaminant.

Which of the following is NOT a TCS food? A) Cream cheese B) Baked potato C) Olive oil D) Sliced melon E) Veggie fried rice

C) Olive oil. (note: untreated garlic and oil mixtures ARE a TCS food).

Which of the following is an example of poor cleaning and sanitizing? A) Contaminated ingredients are added to food that receives no further cooking. B) An employee sneezes into food. C) Wiping clothes are left out on the counter to dry off between uses. D) Soup is cooled too slowly.

C) Wiping clothes are left out on the counter to dry off between uses.

What does the CDC stand for and what do they do with respect to servsafe?

Center for Disease Control. The CDC conducts research into the causes of food-borne illness outbreaks.

Chemical contamination happens when:

Cleaners, sanitizers, and polishes get into or on food. For example, spraying windex on your kitchen counter very close to a fruit bowl of apples. Or, cleaning the sink with clorox spray while pasta drains in the corner of the sink.

Which of the following is an example of poor personal hygiene? A) Wiping clothes are not stored in a sanitizer solution. B) Food is not cooled correctly. C) Dirty cleaning clothes touch a clean cutting board. D) A worker works while sick.

D) A worker works while sick.

What is the main reason preschool-aged children are at a higher risk for foodborne illness? A) They are traditionally very picky eaters. B) They spend a lot of time outside getting dirty. C) This is when many allergic reactions present themselves. D) They have not built up a strong immune system.

D) They have not built up a strong immune system.

Which of the following is NOT a TCS food? A) Alfafa sprouts B) Shrimp cocktail C) Soy milk D) Vegetarian chili E) Strawberries

E) Strawberries

What does the EPA stand for and what do they do with respect to servsafe?

Environmental Protection Agency. Regulates water and fish/marine life safety and sanitation.

What does the USDA stand for and what do they regulate with respect to servsafe?

United States Department of Agriculture. Regulates and inspects meat, poultry, and eggs. Also regulates/inspects all meat, poultry and eggs that are transported across state lines.

What does the U.S PHS stand for and what do they do with respect to servsafe?

United States Public Health Service (sometimes just called PHS). Shares the responsibility with the CDC of conducting researching into the causes of food-borne illness outbreaks.

When is a foodborne illness considered an outbreak?

When two or more people report the same illness from eating the same food. A regulatory authority then must conduct an investigation and confirmation by lab analysis is required.

What are the 6 challenges to food safety?

1) Time: pressure to work fast. 2) Language and Culture: hard to communicate to staff, different cultural ideas of sanitation. 3) Literacy and Education: could be difficult to teach concepts to those with a lower level of education/literacy. 4) Pathogens: illness-causing pathogens are found on a wide variety of food. 5) Unapproved Suppliers: diners can get sick from consuming food that was produced by those not practicing food safety. 6) Staff Turnover: training new staff stresses the operation by occupying time, leaving less time for safe food handling.

List 4 common ways poor personal hygiene can contaminate food:

1) Workers cough or sneeze on food. 2) Workers fail to wash their hands correctly after using the bathroom. 3) Workers work while sick. 4) Workers touch or scratch at wounds and then touch food.

Which of the following is an example of cross contamination? A) ready-to-eat hamburger buns touch the cutting board previously used to prepare the raw hamburger meat. B) A worker fails to wash their hands after the bathroom. C) Turkey at Thanksgiving is left out at the dinner table for 6 hours. D) The kitchen counter is wiped down with a damp paper towel.

A) ready-to-eat hamburger buns touch the cutting board previously used to prepare the raw hamburger meat. This is an example of contamination.

Which of the following IS an outbreak, prompting a regulatory investigation? A) My mother throws up the morning after going out for sushi and is sick all day. B) My mother throws up after eating sushi and my brother wakes up with a hive-ish rash after eating the same sushi. C) My mother and brother are both throwing up the morning after eating sushi together. D) After eating the same sushi, I wake up with a headache, my brother with a rash, and my mother throwing up.

Answer: C. My mother and brother (2 or more people) have experienced the same symptoms (throwing up) after eating the same food (the sushi).

Which of the following is an example of time-temperature abuse? A) Equipment is not sanitized between preparing raw chicken and cutting lettuce. B) Chicken is cooked to 145 degrees. C) Hamburger meat is cooked to 165 degrees. D) Juice from meat drips onto lettuce.

B) Chicken is cooked to 145 degrees. Chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees.

What does the FDA stand for and what do they regulate / do with respect to servsafe?

Food and Drug Administration. Does two things: 1) Inspects and regulates all food except for meat, poultry, and eggs. Inspects all food transported across state lines (again, with the exception of meat, poultry, and eggs). Easy way to remember this: FDA could stand for "food despite animals" or "fruit, dairy, avocado" (meaning it regulates foods except for meat, poultry, eggs). 2) Also issues the FDA food code, providing recommendations for food safety regulations.

What does the NMFS stand for and what do they do with respect to servsafe?

National Marine Fisheries Service. Regulates fishing/fisheries.

What does OSHA stand for?

Occupational Safety and Health Act- makes sure workers stay safe on the job.

Finding bandages, fake fingernails, glass, dirt, bag ties, or fish bones in food is both disgusting and an example of __________ contamination

Physical contamination.

Several federal government organizations (the FDA, EPA, USDA etc.) have a hand in regulating what we eat. What authority do states have?

States must, at a minimum, abide by the nationally set standards set by the different organizations (FDA, EPA...). In addition, they can write or adopt additional code that regulates retail and foodservice operations (i.e: they can make the rules more strict).

What is a TCS food? What does TCS stand for?

TCS: food requiring Time and Temperature Control for Safety. Also known as potentially hazardous food. TCS foods are items that need time and temperature control to limit pathogen growth. Basically, they are the items most prone to developing pathogens because they require careful monitoring of time-temp control.

As a side job, my friend from high school recently started selling cookies on Etsy (this is a real story). She bakes them out of her very clean NYC apartment kitchen. Is this an example of food from an unsafe source?

Yes. Purchasing food prepared in a private home is considered to be an unsafe food source.