ServSafe Study Guide
_________ is the regular adjustments made to tools to keep them accurate
Calibration
What food should be thrown out?
Chili held without temperature control for five hours, previously served but untouched basket of bread, untouched slice of pie with whipped cream returned by a customer, unwrapped butter served on a plate, ice used to hold cold food on a self-service area, breaded and baked fish returned by a customer who wanted broiled fish
Which may be handled with bare hands?
Chopped potatoes for soup
George is getting ready to wash dishes in a three-compartment sink. What should be his first task?
Clean and sanitize the sinks and drain boards
What item must customers take each time they return to a self-service area for more food?
Clean plate
After which activity must food handlers wash their hands?
Clearing tables
what is the first HACCP principle?
Conduct a hazard analysis
A broken water main has caused the water in an operation to appear brown. What should the manager do?
Contact the local regulatory authority before use
What is the best way to control bacteria?
Control time and temperature
What is the most important way to prevent a foodborne illness from bacteria?
Control time and temperature
What should happen to food right after it is thawed in a microwave oven?
Cook it in conventional cooking equipment
When using pooled (unshelled) eggs
Cook them promptly after mixing, or store them at 41ºF or lower
A food handler drops the end of a hose into a mop bucket and turns the water on to fill it. What has the food handler done wrong?
Created a cross-connection
_________________ points are points in a process where identified hazard(s) can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to safe levels.
Critical Control
What is the problem with storing raw ground turkey above raw ground pork?
Cross-contamination
Whole potatoes were coated in olive oil and salt, baked in-house, and stored in a cooler for several days. What must be included on the babel for the baked potatoes?
Date that the food should be discarded
What are the most common symptoms of a foodborne illness?
Diarrhea, vomiting, fever, nausea, abdominal cramps, jaundice
What food items should be rejected during shipping?
Dirty packaging, fresh fish with an internal temperature of 50ºF, torn packaging, repackaged cans of food
What food items should be accepted during shipping?
Eggs with air temperature of 45ºF, a clean intact box, milk at 45ºF, cooked rice at 140ºF
If food-contact surfaces are in constant use, how often must they be cleaned and sanitized?
Every 4 hours
True/False: Pathogens need six conditions to grow- Food, acidity, temp, time, oxygen, mold
False
True/False: cleaning reduces pathogens on a surface to safe levels
False
True/False: food prepared and served off-site must be packed in non insulated food containers
False
What is TCS food?
Food requiring time and temperature control for safety
A pest-control program is an example of a
Food safety program
What practices may be a risk to food defense?
Giving staff access to all storage areas, buying produce from the local farmer's market, giving tours of the kitchen to the general public, allowing delivery drivers to store products in cooler
What sickness is related to ready-to-eat food, found in the feces of infected people, can be prevented by hand washing, and causes jaundice to infected people?
Hepatitis A
What are symptoms of an allergic reaction?
Hives, nausea, diarrhea, itchy rash, swollen face, abdominal pain, shortness of breath
Three components of active managerial control include
Identifying risks, corrective action, and training
Which probe should be used to check the temperature of soup?
Immersion
Which thermometer is used to measure surface temperatures?
Infrared thermometer
Which thermometer measures the temperature of food and equipment surfaces without touching the surface?
Infrared thermometer
What is the most important factor in choosing a food supplier?
It has been inspected and complies with local, state, and federal laws
Milk can be received at 45ºF under what condition?
It is cooled to 41ºF or lower in 4 hours
A food handler has finished trimming raw chicken on a cutting board and needs the board to prep vegetables. What must be done to the cutting board?
It must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized
When must you discard tuna salad that was prepped on July 19?
July 25
Which practice can help prevent time-temperature abuse?
Limiting the amount of food that can be removed from a cooler for prepping
A food handler left a pan of roasted turkey breasts at room temperature overnight. In addition to throwing away the turkey, what is an appropriate corrective action?
Make sure the food handler understands safe cooling practices
What is required for measuring the sanitizing rinse temperature in a high-temperature dishwashing machine?
Maximum registering thermometer
What are the 8 most common food allergens?
Milk, sou, eggs, wheat, fish, crustaceans/shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts
What organization creates national standards for foodservice equipment?
NSF
Did they wash their hands at the right time? Maria was making meatballs when she took a call on her mobile phone. Her manager was nearby, so she quickly got back to work. Afterward, she wiped down her phone and washed her hands.
No, hands were not washed at the right time
Mashed potatoes were cooled from 135ºF to 70ºF in three hours and then from 70ºF to 41ºF in two hours.
No, it was not cooled properly
Marie needed to make 15 chef salads for lunch service in 3 hours. She got out the lettuce, meat, and cheese and left them on the prep table so that she could make the salads in between her other tasks. Was the food prepped correctly? Why or why not?
No, it was not prepped correctly. Time and temperature abuse of the ingredients
Were hand-care guidelines and procedures followed? Michael plated and order and leafed through the paper tickets to make sure he had it right. Before touching each ticket, he licked his fingers to get a better grip. Fortunately, he realized his mistake and quickly applied hand antiseptic before running the order to the table.
No, proper hand-care guidelines and procedures were not followed
What sickness is naturally carried by most farm animals and can be prevented by cooking eggs to the proper temperature, and also can be prevented by preventing cross contamination between poultry/eggs and ready-to-eat food?
Non-Typhoidal Salmonella
Which type of pathogen needs to live in a host to survive?
Parasites
Which type of probe should be used to check the temperature of a hamburger?
Penetration
Which probe should be used to check the temperature of a chicken breast?
Penetration probs
What is the best method of checking the temperature of vacuum-packed meat?
Place the thermometer stem or probe between two packages of product
What is the best way to control viruses?
Practice correct personal hygiene
What is the most important way to prevent a foodborne illness from viruses?
Practice good personal hygiene
Who is a 'high risk' customer due to weakened immune systems?
Preschool students, transplant patients, and nursing home residents
The purpose of a food safety management system is to
Prevent foodborne illness by controlling risks and hazards
What is an important measure for preventing foodborne illness?
Preventing cross-contamination
What is the best way to control parasites, fungi, plant toxins, mushroom toxins, and seafood toxins?
Purchase from approved, reputable sources
What are the 5 most common causes of foodborne illness?
Purchasing food from unsafe sources, failing to cook food correctly, using contaminated equipment, holding food at incorrect temperatures, practicing poor personal hygiene
Which food item shouldn't be served to high-risk populations?
Raw oysters
_______________ food can be eaten without further preparation, washing, or cooking
Ready-to-Eat
What is the correct way to clean and sanitize a prep table?
Remove food from the surface, wash, rinse, sanitize, air-dry
When a utensil is stored in water between uses, what are the requirements?
Running water at any temperature, or a container of water at 135°F or higher
What sickness is carried in the bloodstream and intestinal tract of humans, is prevented by cooking food properly, and can be stopped by washing hands?
Salmonella Thyphoid
Parasites are commonly linked with what type of food?
Seafood
What step should be taken if a manager suspects a foodborne-illness outbreak?
Set aside the suspected product and label it with "do not use" and "do not discard"
A safe way to cool a stockpot of meat sauce is to put it into a
Sink of ice water
What are the most important food safety features to look for when selecting flooring, wall, and ceiling materials?
Smooth and durable
What is the acceptable contact time when sanitizing food-contact surfaces?
Soak the item in a chlorine solution for 7 seconds
A food handler prepares meals for a child day-care center. what symptoms require this food handler to stay home from work?
Sore throat with fever
A food handler has diarrhea and has been diagnosed with an illness from Shigella spp. What should the manager tell this food handler to do?
Stay home until approved to return to work
A prep cook stores a bottle of sanitizer on a shelf above a prep table. To prevent chemical contamination, what should be done differently?
Store the sanitizer bottle away from the prep area
What should food handlers do after prepping food and before using the restroom?
Take off their aprons
What should a manager of a hospital cafeteria do if a cook calls in with a headache, nausea, and diarrhea?
Tell the cook to stay away from work and see a doctor
What must food handlers do to make sure sanitizing solution for use on food-contact surfaces has been made correctly?
Test the solution with a sanitizer kit
A cook wore single-use gloves while forming raw ground beef into patties. The cook continued to wear them while slicing hamburger buns. What mistake was made?
The cook didn't wash hands and put on new gloves before slicing the hamburger buns
An operation received a violation in the outside area of the facility. The manager reviewed the area and saw that the dumpster was placed on a freshly graveled drive. The lids were closed, and the drain plug was in place to prevent the Dumpster from draining. What was the problem?
The surface underneath dumpster should've been paved with concrete or asphalt
An operation has a buildup of grease and condensation on the walls and ceiling. What is the most likely problem?
The ventilation system is not working correctly
Why are elderly people at a higher risk for food borne illness?
Their immune systems have weakened with age
What type of thermometer can be used to check the air temperature of a cooler?
Thermocouple with air probe
What type of thermometer can be used to check the internal temperature of fryer oil?
Thermocouple with immersion probe
What types of thermometers can be used to check the surface temperature of a griddle?
Thermocouple with surface probe, infrared thermometer
Raw chicken breasts are left out at room temperature on a prep table? What's the risk that could cause foodborne illness?
Time-Temperature abuse
A food handler left a hotel pan of pasta salad on the prep table while preparing several lunch orders. What is the problem with this situation?
Time-temperature abuse
What causes large ice crystals to form on frozen food and its packaging?
Time-temperature abuse
What device can be used to monitor both time and temperature abuse during the shipment or storage of food?
Time-temperature indicator
Why must prep tables be cleaned and sanitized between uses?
To prevent cross-contamination
How far must a bimetallic stemmed thermometer be inserted into food to give an accurate reading?
To the dimple in the thermometer stem
Which part of the plate should a food handler avoid touching when serving customers?
Top
True/False: Pathogens grow best in food with little to no acid
True
True/False: Viruses can survive refrigerator and freezer temperatures
True
What should food handlers do to prevent food allergens from being transferred to food?
Use clean and sanitized utensils when prepping the order
What are true statements about single-use gloves?
Use correct glove size, wash hands before putting gloves on, check gloves for rips/tears after putting them on, change gloves after 4 hours of continuous use, change gloves when they get dirty or torn, change gloves after handling raw meat and before handling ready-to-eat food.
A pan of lasagna at 165°F was packed in a heated cabinet for off-site delivery. What is the minimum information that should be on the pan label?
Use-by date and time and reheating and service instructions
Which practice can help prevent cross-contamination?
Using color-coded cutting boards
A cook preps a beef tenderloin on a cutting board and then immediately cuts pies for dessert on the same cutting board. This is an example of which risk factor?
Using contaminated equipment
What practices help prevent cross-contamination?
Using separate cutting boards for prepping raw meat and raw vegetables, buy diced onions instead of dicing them in the operation, prep salads before prepping raw meat on the same prep table, use green-handled knives to prep produce and yellow-handled knives to prep raw poultry.
What is the leading cause of food borne illnesses?
Viruses
What information should a master cleaning schedule have?
What should be cleaned, when, by whom, and how
How does most contamination of food happen?
When people cause the contamination
When is it acceptable to eat in an operation?
When sitting in a break area
To prevent the deliberate contamination of food, a manager should know who is in the facility, monitor the security of products, keep information related to food security on file, and know...
Whom to contact about suspicious activity
How should flatware and utensils that have been cleaned & sanitized be stored?
With handles facing up
What is the best way to eliminate pests that have entered the operation?
Work with a licensed pest control operator
What can cause signs of spoilage, including discoloration, slime, bubbles, and odors on refrigerated foods such as jams?
Yeast
Did they wash their hands at the right time? Linda prepped raw chicken for the day's special. Then she washed her hands and sliced melons. After that, she washed and sanitized the cutting boards.
Yes, hands were washed at the right time
Beef barley soup was cooled from 135ºF to 70ºF in one hour and then from 70ºF to 41F in four hours. Has it been cooled correctly?
Yes, it was cooled properly
Phillip, the chef at a nursing home, wanted to treat the residents to his famous chocolate mousse. He whipped egg whites using pasteurized egg whites with chocolate, cream, sugar, and vanilla and poured the mixture into individual serving dishes. Was the food prepped correctly? Why or why not?
Yes, it was prepped correctly. He used pasteurized eggs
Were hand-care guidelines and procedures followed? Gabe, a restaurant manager, noticed that prep cooks were washing their hands in the prep sink. Gabe immediately spoke to the employees about designated hand sinks and appropriate vs. inappropriate locations for washing hands.
Yes, proper hand-care guidelines and procedures were followed
Histamine
a toxin sometimes produced by bacteria found on the surface of certain fish which when injected can cause illness, specifically Scrombroid poisoning
In a refrigerator, raw ground meat should be stored
above the whole and ground turkey
When washing hands, the water should be
as hot as you can comfortably stand
Store food service cleaning chemicals
away from food, utensils, and equipment used for food
If a food service employee has diarrhea or vomiting, he or she should
call in sick and stay home
The three categories of food safety hazards are biological, physical, and
chemical
The correct order for cleaning and sanitizing food-contact surfaces is to
clean, risk, sanitize, and air-dry
The transfer of allergens from food containing an allergen to the food served to a customer is known as a
cross-contact
TCS food that is being held at 135ºF or higher must have its temperature checked at least
every 4 hours
Surface probes check temperature of
flat cooking equipment
A groups of procedures and practices that work together to prevent food borne illness is a
food safety management system
Which feature is the most important for a chemical storage area?
good lighting/emergency shower system
The most important part of personal hygiene is
hand-washing
A master cleaning schedule specifies which piece of equipment is to be cleaned, when it is to be cleaned, who is to clean it, and
how it should be cleaned
A HACCP system focuses mostly on
major hazards at specific points within a food's flow through the operation
What are pathogens?
microorganisms that cause illness
Glass from a broken lightbulb is an example of a _____ contaminant?
physical
To thaw frozen food
place the item in a cooler that keeps it at 41ºF or lower
The first step in the flow of food is
purchasing
ROP
reduced oxygen packaging
If a delivery of fresh fish has dark spots or discoloration,
reject the fish
A hand washing station should have a garbage container, hot and cold water, signage, a way to dry hands, and
soap
To protect ice
store ice scoops outside of the machine in a clean, protected location
ANSI
the American National Standards Institute ((sets national standards for food service equipment))
Backflow
the reverse flow of dirty water through a cross connection backwards into the clean water supply. Backsiphonage can cause Backflow through a cross-connection
When storing leftover salads that contain TCS food
throw out leftovers held at 41ºF or lower after 7 days
To scoop ice, use
tongs
A foodborne illness outbreak occurs when
two or more people get the same illness after eating the same food
the First in first our rule refers to (FIFO)
using older food supplies before newer ones
to use gloves properly,
wash your hands before putting on gloves
A thermometer used to measure the temperature of food must be accurate to what temperatures?
±2ºF
When washing hands, what is the minimum time you should scrub with soap?
10 seconds
At what minimum internal temperature should hot TCS food be held?
135°F
To what temperatures must soup that contains cooked beef be reheated for hot holding?
135°F for 15 seconds
At what minimum temperature should hot TCS food be held?
135ºF
A pork roast must be cooked to an internal temperature of ___ for at least 15 seconds.
145ºF
Brined ham must be cooked to an internal temperature of __ for at least 15 seconds
155ºF
Eggs that will be hot-held for service must be heated to an internal temperature of __ for at least 15 seconds
155ºF
What is the required minimum internal cooking temperature for ground turkey?
165°F for 15 seconds
A whole chicken must be cooked to an internal temperature of ___ for at least 15 seconds.
165ºF
Foodhandlers who plan to reheat leftover or previously prepared TCS food so that it can be held for service, must heat the food to an internal temperature of __ within 2 hours and hold for 15 seconds
165ºF
When cooling TCS food, the temperature must go from 135°F to 70°F in
2 hours
If FATTOM conditions are right, bacteria will double their number as often as every __ minutes
20
hands/arms should be scrubbed with soap for at least __ seconds
20
How long can food stay in the temperature danger zone before it must be thrown out?
4 hours
When installing tabletop equipment on legs, the space between the base of the equipment and the tabletop must be at least
4 inches
At what maximum internal temperature should cold TCS food be held?
41°F
Pathogens grow well in food that has a temperature between
41ºF and 135ºF
What is the correct temperature for receiving cod TCS food?
41ºF or lower
Shell eggs must be received at a maximum air temperature of
45ºF
When partially cooking food for later service, what is the maximum amount of time that the food can be heated during the initial cooking step?
60 minutes
Ready-to-eat TCS food that has been prepped in-house and stored at 41ºF or lower should be thrown out after __ days
7
What is the maximum water temperature allowed when thawing food under running water?
70°F
According to the CDC, there are approximately _____ million cases of food borne illness in the US annually.
76
An operation has a self-service salad bar with 8 different items on it. How many serving utensils are needed to serve the items on the salad bar?
8
Who is most at risk of contaminating food?
A food handler whose young daughter has diarrhea
Due to an operation's space limits, ready-to-eat and uncooked foods must be stored in the same cooler. How should foods be stored, in top-to-bottom order?
According to minimum internal cooking temperatures, with ready-to-eat foods on the top shelf and poultry on the bottom
A manager's responsibility to actively control risk factors for foodborne illnesses is called
Active managerial control
What is the only completely reliable method for preventing backflow?
Air gap
What is one possible function of a government agency that is responsible for food safety?
Approving a construction project
ALERT
Assume, Look, Employees, Reports, and Threat ((created by FDA to help operators remember to be alert for deliberate contamination of food))
How many inches from the floor should food be stored?
At least 6 inches
An operation is located in a jurisdiction that allows it to hold TCS food without temperature control. How many hours can it display hot TCS food without temperature control before the food must be sold, served, or thrown out?
At least every 4 hours
A food handler will be wearing single-use gloves to assemble boxed lunches. When must their hands be washed?
Before putting on the gloves
At what temperatures do most food borne pathogens grow most quickly?
Between 70ºF and 125ºF
What types of thermometers can be used to check the internal temperature of a fish fillet?
Bimetallic stem thermometer, thermocouple with penetration probe
What types of thermometers can be used to check the internal temperature of a roads?
Bimetallic stem thermometer, thermocouple with penetration probe
A guest had a reversal of hot and cold sensations after eating seafood. What most likely caused the illness?
Biological toxins
What food can be re-served?
Bottle of ketchup with cap on, individually wrapped crackers, mustard packets, a washed and wrapped pear that has been in a vending machine for 8 days
