ServSafe Unit I: The Food Safety Challenge

True or False. Hand antiseptics should only be used before handwashing.

False. Antiseptics, if used, should only be used after proper handwashing - never in place of it.

True or False. During handwashing, foodhandlers must vigorously scrub their hands and arms for five seconds.

False. Scrub hands and arms vigorously for ten to fifteen seconds.

True or False. If a food handler had a sore throat with a fever, he or she is restricted from working with food for 12 hours.

False. The food handler can work with or around food when he or she has a written release from a medical practitioner.

Contamination

Presence of harmful substances in food.

Warranty of Sale

Rules stating how food must be handled in an establishment.

This illness can be prevented by preventing cross-contamination:

Salmonellosis

Biological contaminants

Leading cause of foodborne illness. (Includes viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi)

To prevent chemical contamination, chemicals should be stored ______ from food and utensils.

Separate from

While commonly linked with contaminated ground beef, what pathogen has also been linked with contaminated produce?

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli

What three points should a food defense program focus on to prevent possible threats to food?

Human elements, building interior, building exterior

Foodborne Illness

Illness carried or transmitted to people by food.

Toxic-metal poisoning

Illness caused when toxic metals are leached from utensils or equipment containing them.

Biological Hazards

Illness-causing microorganisms. Examples are plant, mushroom or seafood toxins.

Please list 6 common food allergens

Dairy, Egg, Fish and shellfish, Wheat, Soy, and Peanuts and tree nuts.

What food items are better able to support the growth of pathogens?

Dairy, Eggs, Meat, Pultry, Fish and shellfish, baked bpotates, heat-treated plant food such as rice or beans, tofu, sprouts, melons and tomatoes, untreated garlic mixtures.

Hair restraint

Device used to keep a foodhandler's hair away from food and to keep the individual from touching it.

Ture or False. Adults are more likely than pre-school age children to become ill from contaminated food.

False.

FAT TOM stands for Food, Acidity,Time Temperature, Oxygen and...

Moisture

Cross-Contamination

Occurs when microorganisms are transferred from one food or surface to another.

Parasite

Organism that needs to live in a host organism to survive.

Which piece of jewelry can be worn by a foodhandler?

Plain band ring.

What are the most common risk factors that cause foodborne illness?

Purchasing from unsafe sources, Failing to cook food adequately, Holding food at incorrect temperatures, Using contaminated equipment, Poor personal hygiene.

What is the best way to prevent a foodborne illness caused by seafood toxins?

Purchasing seafood from approved, reputable supplies.

TDZ (temperature danger zone)

Range where pathogens grow well in food (between 41 deg and 135 deg)

Chemical contaminants

Responsible for many cases of foodborne illness. Can come from a variety of substances normally found in the establishment.

Foodhandlers cannot work in their operation if they have an illness caused by which pathogen?

Salmonella Typhi

These illnesses can be prevented by practicing good personal hygiene:

Shigellosis, Staphylococcal gastroenteritis

True or False. A Foodborne-illness outbreak has occured when two or more people get the same illness after eating the same food.

True.

True or False. A foodborne-illness can occur if food is not cooled properly.

True.

True or False. A foodborne-illness outbreak can raise an establishment's insurance premium.

True.

True or False. A person with a shellfish allergy who unknowingly eats soupmade with clam juice may experience a tightening in the throat.

True.

True or False. Copper utensils and equipment can cause an illness when used to prepare acidic food.

True.

True or False. Delivery peopleand service contractors are possible food defense risks.

True.

True or False. Diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis B and C, and tuberculosis are not spread through food.

True.

True or False. Foodhandlers must wash their hands after smoking.

True.

True or False. Gloves should be changed before beginning a different task.

True.

True or False. If a food handler has a sore throat with a fever, he or she must be restricted from working with or around food.

True.

True or False. If you transfer a chemical to a new container, you must label it with the name of the chemical.

True.

True or False. Milk is a common food allergen.

True.

True or False. People on chemo have a higher risk of contracting a foodborne illness.

True.

True or False. Simple acts such as rubbing an ear or scratching the scalp can contaminate food.

True.

To prevent food allergens from being transferred to food, ...

clean and sanitize utensils before use.

Toxins

poisons produced by pathogens, plants or animals.

Foodhandlers should not eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum or tobacco while..

prepping food.

Foodservice operaions should not use mushrooms unless they have been...

purchased from an approved, reputable supplier.

Foodhandlers should keep their fingernails...

short and unpolished.

Bacteria

single celled, living microorganisms that can spoil food and cause illness.

Viruses such as Norovirus and hepatitis A can be spread when foodhandlers fail to...

wash their hands.

What employee health problems pose a possible threat to food safety?

1) Sore throat w/ fever; 2) Vomiting, diarrhea or jaundice; 3) Foodborne illness by one of these pathogens: Salmonella Typhi, Shigella spp, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Hep A, or Norovirus

What procedures must foodhandlers follow when using gloves?

1) Use single use gloves, never washed or reused. 2) Make sure fit properly 3) Never use gloves in place of handwashing. 4) Wash hands before donning gloves and when changing. 5) Change gloves when soiled, before changing tasks, every 4 hours and after handling raw meat before handling RTE food.

What are some basic work-attire requirements for employees?

1) Wear a clean hat or hair restraint, 2) Wear clean clothing daily. 4) Remove aprons when leaving food prep areas. 5) Remove jewelry from hands and arms prior to preparing food and working in food prep areas.

What personal behaviors can contaminate food?

1) Wiping or touching the nose. 2) Rubbing an ear 3) Scratching the scalp 4) Touching a pimple or an infected wound 4) Running fingers through the hair.

When should hand antiseptics be used?

After washing hands.

What is the proper procedure for handling employee wounds on hands or arms?

Bandages must be worn over wounds on hands and arms. The bandages must keep the wound from leaking. A single-use glove or finger cot must be worn over bandages on hands or fingers.

What should foodhandlers do if they cut their fingers while preparing food?

Cover the wound with a bandage and glove or a finger cot.

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?

Cross-contamination. The cook did not wash hands and put on new gloves before slicing the buns.

True or False. Gloves can be used in place of handwashing.

False. Gloves must never be used in place of handwashing.

If an employee has a health problem that poses a possible threat to food safety, what are the appropriate actions to be taken?

Sore throat w/ fever, restrict from working around or with foodand require medical release to return. For vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice or one of the following: Salmonella Typhi, Shigella spp, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Hep A, or Norovirus - Exclude from operation and require medical release to return.

Foodhandlers who work in a nursing home cannot work in the operation if they have which symptom?

Sore throat with fever.

What should foodhandlers do after prepping food and before usingthe restroom?

Take off their aprons.

What should a manager at a nursing home do if a cook calls in with a headache, nausea, and diarrhea?

Tell the cook to stay away from work and see a doctor.

When a foodhandler has been diagnosed with shigellosis, what steps must be taken?

The food handler must be told to not come in to work.

Yeast

Type of fungus that causes food spoilage.

What must foodhandlers do after touching their hair, face or body?

Wash their hands.

Leading cause of foodborne illness is

Viruses

What measures can be taken to help ensure the safety of customers with food allergies?

1) Describe menu items 2) Identify ingredients 3) Suggest simple items 4) wash, rinse, and sanitize cookware before preparing food 5) Wash hands and change gloves before preparing food. 6) Assign specific equipment for preparing food for customers with allergens.

Please list the components of a good personal hygiene program.

1) Following hygienic hand practices. 2) Maintaining personal cleanliness. 3) Wearing clean and appropriate uniforms and following dress codes. 4) Avoiding certain habits and actions. 5) Maintaining good health. 6) Reporting illnesses.

What are some ways to keep chemicals from contaminating food?

1) Store chemicals away from food, utensils,and equip. 2) Follow mfgr directions when using chemicals. 3) Be careful when using chemicals while food is being prepared. 4) Label chemical containers when transferring a chemical to a new container. 5) Only use lubricants that are made for food equipment.

Five steps for proper handwashing:

1) Wet hands and arms with running water as hot as you can stand 2) Apply soap 3) Scrub hands and arms vigorously for ten to fifteen seconds 4) Rinse hands and arms thoroughly under running water 5) Dry hands and arms with a single-use paper towel or warm-air hand dryer.

Acording to the CDC, the most common risk factors that cause foodborne illnesses are:

1) failing to cook food adequately, 2) holding food at incorrect temperatures, 3) using contaminated equipment, 4) practicing poor personal hygiene and 5)purchasing food from unsafe sources.

Food defense

A program developed and implemented by an operation to prevent deliberate contamination of its food.

Cross-contact

Allergens are transferred from food containing an allergen to the food served to the customer.

A person who ate raw oysters later became disoriented and suffered memory loss. What illness was most likely the cause?

Amnesic shellfish poisoning

Foodborne Illness Outbreak

An incident in which two or more people experience the same illness after eating the same food.

These illnesses can be prevented through time and temperature control:

Bacillus cereus gastroenteritis, Listeriosis, Hemorrhagic colitis, Clostridium perfringens gastroenteritis, Botulism

Pathogen commonly linked with cooked rice.

Bacillus cereus.

What are the three categories of food safety hazards?

Biological, Chemical and Physical Hazards.

What are the keys to food safety?

Controlling time & temp, Practicing good hygiene, Preventing cross-contamination, Purchasing from approved suppliers, Cleaning & sanitizing properly.

Which practice can reduce Salmonella spp. in poultry to safe levels?

Cooking food to the right temperature.

Reasonable Care Defense

Defense against a food-related lawsuit stating that an establishment did everything that could be reasonably expected to ensure that food served as safe.

Chemical Hazards

Examples include cleaners, sanitizers, polishes, machine lubricants, and toxic metals.

Eggs and peanuts are dangerous for people with which condition?

Food allergies.

Itching and tightening of the throat are symptoms of what?

Food allergy.

Time-Temperature Abuse

Food has been time-temperature abused any time it has been allowed to remain too long at a temperature favorable to the growth of foodborne microorganisms.

FAT TOM

Food, Acidity, Temperature - Time, Oxygen, Moisture

Physical Hazards

Foreign objects that accidentally get into food. Examples are hair, dirt, bandages, metal staples, and broken glass. Naturally occurring objects, such as bones.

Spore

Form that some bacteria can take to protect themselves when nutrients are not available.

How are viruses transmitted?

From person to person, people to food, and from people to food-contact surfaces.

Personal Hygiene

Habits that include keeping the hands, hair, and body clean and wearing clean & appropriate uniforms. Avoiding unsanitary actions, and reporting illness/injury.

Which foodborne illness has been linked with ready-to-eat food and shellfish contaminated by sewage?

Hepatitis A

What are the potential costs associated with foodborne illness outbreaks?

Loss of customers, Negative media, Lawsuits & legal fees, Increased insurance, Loss of reputation, Lowered employee morale, Employee absenteeism, Staff retraining.

Carriers

People that carry pathogens and infect others without ever getting sick themselves.

Most important measure to prevent foodborne illness caused by viruses is:

Personal hygiene / practicing personal hygiene.

Finger cot

Protective covering used to cover a properly bandaged cut or wound on the finger.

Fungi

Ranging in size from microscopic, single-celled organisms to very large, multicellular organisms. Most often cause food to spoil. Molds, yeast, and mushrooms are examples.

Which pathogen is primarily found in the hair, nose, and throat of humans?

Staphylococcus aureus

Covering wounds can help prevent the spread of which pathogen?

Stapphylococcus aureus

Immune System

The body's defense against illness.

Biological, Chemical and Physical Hazards

The three major categories or types of hazards to food safety.

Why are elderly people at a higher risk for fodborne illness?

Their immune systems are weekened with age.

What two FAT TOM conditions are easiest for an establishment to control?

Time and Temperature.

Cooking tomato sauce in a copper pot can cause which foodborne illness?

Toxic-metal poisoning.

True or False. With some illnesses, a person may infect others before showing any symptoms.

True.

True or False. Wounds on hands should be covered with a clean bandage and a glove or finger cot.

True.

True or False. Food handlers who have had jaundice for less than seven days must be excluded from the operation.

True. They must have a written release from a medical practioner and approval from the regulatory authority before returning to work.

For a foodborne illness to be considered an "outbreak", a minimum of how many people must experience the same illness after eating the same food?

Two

Mold

Type of fungus that causes food spoilage. Some produce toxins that can cause foodborne illness.

What measures should be taken to prevent a seafood-specific foodborne illness?

Use only approved suppliers.

How can plant toxinsbe prevented from getting into food?

Use only approved vendors. Cook and hold coorectly.

What are some ways to prevent toxic-metal poisoning?

Use only food-grade utensils and equipment to prepare and store food.

This illness can be prevented by purchasing from approved suppliers:

Vibrio vulnificus (primary septicemia / gastroenteritis)

Four types of pathogens are:

Viruses, Bacteria, Fungi, and Parasites.

Physical contaminants

When objects get in food. Examples are, metal shavings from cas, staples fom cartons, glass from broken lightbulbs or dishes, blades from plastic or rubber spatulas, bristles from pastry brushes, fingernails, hair, bandages, dirt, bones, jewelry, fruit pits, twist ties, etc.

Foodborne pathogens grow well at temperatures...

between 41 F and 135 F.

How can an outbreak of Norovirus be prevented?

handwashing, no barehand RTE contact, not allowing Nausea and Vomiting symptoms in operation, only buying shellfish from approved vendor.

Pathogens

microorganisms that cause illness

Microorganisims

small, living organisms that can be seen only through a microscope.

Water activity

the amount of moisture available in food for pathogen growth.