Question 1

A fish has been accepted into the restaurant. The eyes are cloudy and the flesh smells like ammonia. What is the proper action to take?

Accepted Answer

You should throw the fish away if it has cloudy eyes and the flesh smells like ammonia. These two signs are very good indicators that the fish has turned rotten. To avoid any food borne illness, you should throw the fish away.

Question 2

The greatest threat of E. coli contamination can be traced to which of the following foods?

Accepted Answer

The greatest threat of E. coli contamination can be traced to ground beef. Beef and beef products are the major cause of E. coli related illness, with ground beef being of particular concern. To avoid this illness, make sure to cook the meat to a temperature of 165°F.

Question 3

A large batch of chili is prepared in your restaurant for use over the next three days. Which temperature should the chili be cooked to before it is served on days two and three to ensure the food is suitable to eat?

Accepted Answer

Chili being reheated for serving on the second or third day of use should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (about 74 degree C) or above to ensure it is safe to eat. Before placing it in the steam table, chili should always be heated to this temperaure. To avoid any further possibility of food contamination, it is important to only heat the needed amount of chili to this temperature.

Question 4

An employee mixes raw chicken and raw celery in a food bucket. The proper action is to:

Accepted Answer

If an employee mixes raw chicken and raw celery in a food bucket, the correct action to take is to throw the celery out and keep the chicken. While the celery is now a food safety risk, the chicken is not affected by the presence of the celery. Therefore, you need to throw the celery out and reserve the chicken.

Question 5

The labels on a bottle of bleach and a bottle of pesticide have fallen off the containers and the manager cannot tell which one is which. The proper action to take is:

Accepted Answer

If the labels of a pesticide and bleach fall off and you cannot determine which container holds which liquid, you should throw both liquids out. As the saying goes, when in doubt, thrown them out!

Question 6

Your restaurant is closed on Sunday and Monday. When you return on Tuesday, the temperature of the refrigerator is 51°F. The correct action is to:

Accepted Answer

If you return on Tuesday to find the refrigerator is broken, you should take all of the listed actions. First, you should call a repairman to fix the broken refrigerator. Second, you should throw away all the perishable or spoiled food in the refrigerator. In kitchens, it is common to find non-perishable foods in a refrigerator, such as a sealed can of pickles. If this is the case, then you can save such foods, provided the containers have not been opened and are in the same state that you would find them in the dry storage area of your kitchen.

Question 7

The most common type of rat found in food service establishments is the:

Accepted Answer

The most common type of rat found in food service establishments is the Norwalk Rat. Native to North America, this type of rat has been of concern since the first food establishment opened in the United States.

Question 8

A restaurant decides to make pickles in the restaurant and sell them as "homemade" pickles. The pickles will not be canned; they will be soaked in a pickling solution for two days then served. Is this legal?

Accepted Answer

Pickles can be made in a restaurant provided the pickles will not be canned and will not sit for a long period of time. While the term "Homemade" might seem illegal, it is not illegal to make the claim "homemade" on the menu, provided the rules concerning the pickling process are correctly followed.

Question 9

You see a hair in the potato soup you are about to serve. The correct action to take is:

Accepted Answer

If you see a hair in any food you are about to serve, the correct action is to throw it away. While you might be able to remove the hair, the damage has already been done, rendering the soup un-servable. You should also make sure all kitchen workers are wearing headgear in the future.

Question 10

A customer requests that you serve their chicken medium rare in regards to internal temperature. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

If a customer requests you serve their chicken medium rare, you should tell them that you cannot satisfy this request. Under no circumstances can you serve undercooked poultry at a food service establishment.

Question 11

The food pathogen Clostridium botulinum is often associated with which of the following foods?

Accepted Answer

Clostridium botulinum is often associated with canned foods, smoked fish, and salted fish. These bacteria thrives in environments where the level of available oxygen is quite low. To avoid these bacteria, make sure to only use properly canned foods and smoked or salted fish that comes from a reputable dealer.

Question 12

After cutting raw chicken the next action you should take is:

Accepted Answer

After cutting raw chicken you should immediately wash your hands. This will limit the chance of causing cross contamination when touching other items in the kitchen, including other foods and contact surfaces.

Question 13

Pasteurized foods are foods that have been:

Accepted Answer

Pasteurized foods are foods that have been heat treated. In a process discovered by Louis Pasteur, the heating of foods to a certain temperature for a certain amount of time has helped to limit food born disease tremendously.

Question 14

How far should all foods be stored off the floor of the kitchen?

Accepted Answer

Foods should be stored off the floor of a kitchen by at least six inches. Any height below six inches will make the food susceptible to cross contamination, physical hazards, and rodents.

Question 15

What action should be taken if a perishable food is received within the Danger Zone?

Accepted Answer

If a food is received within the Danger Zone, the correct action to take is to send the food back to the supplier. This is true for all perishable foods.

Question 16

In a restaurant, hand sanitizer can be used after:

Accepted Answer

Hand sanitizer can be used only after washing your hands. Since there is no substitute for washing your hands, the only logical time you could use hand sanitizer is during a time when it will not affect the ability to kill germs; in particular, after washing your hands.

Question 17

Poor food safety standards can result in the following events except:

Accepted Answer

Poor food safety standards will not lead to lower operating costs. While it might seem easy to skip food safety steps, it will end up costing you more money in the end through fines, lawsuits, and most importantly an ever-declining number of customers.

Question 18

When using a system of First in First out (FIFO), which food should be used first?

Accepted Answer

When using a system of FIFO, you should always use the oldest product first. This ensures that foods do not remain in your kitchen for extended periods of time.

Question 19

Of the following groups, which is not considered a high-risk population?

Accepted Answer

College students are not a high-risk population in terms of food safety.

Question 20

What is the level of water activity required for microorganisms to grow?

Accepted Answer

The level of water activity required for microbial growth is 0.85. Any level higher than this is considered an environment prone to bacterial growth. For this reason, it is important to treat all foods with water activities above this value as a potentially hazardous food.
Water activity (aw) is a measurement of the moisture content of a food, expressed as a ratio of the vapor pressure in the food item in a given condition vs. the vapor pressure of distilled water in the same condition. The amount of unbound H2O molecules present in a food generally correlates directly to the likelihood of microbial growth on the food, including yeasts, molds, and bacteria.

Quiz 1: Food Safety