Contamination

Which surfaces should food handlers avoid touching to prevent contaminating their hands with pathogens?

What are some ways that a food handler could cause a foodborne illness outbreak?

Which of these are ways that a food handler with poor personal hygiene can cause a foodborne illness?

Food could be contaminated on purpose by an attacker using any of these contaminants:

• Radioactive
• Chemical
• Physical
• Biological

How can a food defense program prevent the deliberate contamination of food?

Which of these are situations when food handlers should wash their hands?

What food needs careful handling to prevent contamination?

How can food become contaminated by bare-hand contact?

Which is true about an attack of deliberate contamination of food?

Which is true about backflow?

How should garbage be handled in food prep areas to prevent odors, pests, and contamination?

Where should staff store personal belongings, like their street clothes, coats, backpacks, keys, and phones?

Norovirus and Hepatitis A are the only two viruses on the FDA’s list of Big Six Pathogens. How can Norovirus be transmitted differently than Hepatitis A?

Which can spread contaminants in your operation?

How can staff avoid contaminating food during service?

Why do the foods on this list require special care during handling and preparation?

• Ice
• Eggs
• Produce
• Salads containing TCS ingredients

Liquid waste, like dirty mop water, should NOT be dumped into toilets or urinals. Where should liquid waste be dumped?

How can a paper towel be used to avoid contaminating your hands after washing them in the restroom?

When performing off-site service (catering), what risk is higher when there is a delay between the time food is prepared and the time it’s served?

Which corrective action should be taken if a food handler did NOT follow proper handwashing procedures?

What can be caused by deodorizers, first-aid products, and health and beauty products, like hand lotions and hairsprays?

Cleaners, sanitizers, polishes, machine lubricants, and pesticides are examples of what kind of contaminant?

Which is a part of the fecal-oral route of contamination?

How can food be protected from contamination in self-service areas?

Metal shavings from cans, wood, fingernails, staples, bandages, glass, jewelry, and dirt are examples ServSafe gives for what kind of objects?

Which of these situations can cause a food handler to contaminate food and cause illness?

To prevent contamination, mops, brushes, or other cleaning tools should NOT be cleaned in handwashing, food prep, or dishwashing sinks. Where should these items be cleaned?

How should the food-contact surfaces of stationary equipment be kept when they are NOT being used?

What kind of contamination can cause mild to fatal injuries?

How can food and non-food items be protected from contamination during storage?

How can kitchenware and equipment made from these materials leach toxic metals into food and cause chemical contamination?

• Zinc
• Pewter
• Copper
• Painted pottery

What must clean and sanitized equipment, tableware, and utensils be protected from during storage?

Why must infected cuts and burns be covered if they are open or draining?

There are three kinds of contaminants that can get into food and make people sick:

• Biological
• Chemical
• Physical

What is it called when someone gets sick after eating contaminated food?

Which is true about mechanically tenderized meat?

Store dirty clothing like aprons, chef coats, or uniforms away from food and prep areas. What kind of container should they be stored in until they are washed?

What can happen if garbage is NOT handled correctly in your operation?

How can you make sure that condiments are kept safe from contamination?

To prevent contamination, chemicals should be stored in their own designated location away from these areas:

• Food prep areas
• Food-storage areas
• Service areas

How can chemicals be kept separate from food and food-contact surfaces during storage?

Which guidelines should service staff follow to avoid contaminating tableware with their hands?

Which of these mistakes can result in food becoming contaminated?

Can healthy people spread pathogens?

What are some ways that food could become contaminated?

What program does your operation need to keep food handlers from contaminating food?

Which of these are examples of where contaminants can come from?

Once the recalled food items have been identified, remove them from inventory and keep them in a secure and appropriate place like a cooler or dry storage area. What does the recalled food item need to be stored separately from?

Dirty laundry should be stored in washable laundry bags or nonabsorbent containers. To avoid contamination, what areas should it be kept away from?

What are some situations that can cause a food handler to contaminate food?

After cleaning tools are used, they should be cleaned and air-dried. What needs to be avoided when air-drying mops?

How does storing items at least six inches above the floor and away from the walls help prevent contamination?

Here are some ways that a food handler can make people sick:

• NOT washing hands after using the bathroom
• Coughing or sneezing near food
• Touching a cut or burn and then touching food
• Working while sick

What risk factor is demonstrated by these examples?

These are examples of chemicals used in food service that can become chemical contaminants:

• Cleaners
• Sanitizers
• Polishes

How can these chemicals get into food and cause chemical contamination?

Which of these are ways that viruses can be transmitted?

What kind of contamination is food at risk for when using kitchenware or equipment made from pewter, copper, zinc, or painted pottery?

Which of these are ways that viruses be transferred?

Why should chemicals never be stored above food, linens, utensils, and equipment?

What kind of food has a higher risk for contamination than other food?

Food contaminated by bare hands or bodily fluids must be thrown out. What should be done with food handled by a staff member who was excluded for illness?

Which of these are ways that a food handler could cause a foodborne illness outbreak?

Why should food covers be used in self-service areas?

Dirty linens must be kept away from food and food prep areas. What kind of container should be used to store dirty linens?

What is cross-contamination?

Dishwashers should be installed to prevent them from contaminating food-contact surfaces. What else should be considered when installing a dishwasher?

Which of these are situations when food handlers should change their gloves?

Which of these are situations when food handlers should wash their hands?

To avoid contamination, what should NOT be stored in these areas?

• Bathrooms
• Locker rooms
• Garbage rooms
• Dressing rooms
• Under stairwells
• Mechanical rooms
• Under leaking water lines
• Under unprotected sewer lines

What can happen when natural objects, like bones in a fish fillet, are left in food?

Why is it critical to train staff on the procedures to clean up vomit and diarrhea if someone gets sick in the operation?

Why should these actions be avoided?

• Scratching the scalp
• Running fingers through the hair
• Wiping or touching the nose
• Rubbing an ear
• Touching a pimple or an infected wound/boil
• Wearing and touching a dirty uniform
• Coughing or sneezing into the hand
• Spitting in the operation

What is the biggest threat to food that is ready to be served?

Which is a classification of contaminants?

When cleaning and sanitizing food contact surfaces, the fifth and final step is to dry the surface. What method should be used for drying?

What are some examples of accidental contamination?

How do single-use gloves prevent food contamination?

Safe food is at risk of contamination if products recalled by the manufacturer are stored near it. How should recalled food items be kept until the instructions for their handling can be followed?

Biological contamination is more common than chemical or physical contamination. What are some examples of biological contaminants?

What kind of location should food be stored in?

Store chemicals in a designated area that is seperate from the items listed here:

• Food
• Equipment
• Utensils
• Linens

If a designated storage area for chemicals is unavailable, what can be used to keep them separate from the listed items?

Food handlers can cause foodborne illnesses if they do any of the following:

What should be done with food and food-contact surfaces that may have been contaminated by unwashed hands?

What can keep food safe by creating a barrier between hands and food?

TCS food needs careful handling to prevent time-temperature abuse. What kind of food needs careful handling to avoid contamination?

Cleaning tools and supplies can contaminate food and surfaces when NOT used or stored correctly. Where should these items be stored?

Which is true about ready-to-eat (RTE) food?

Why do operations need to have procedures for cleaning up vomit and diarrhea?

What risks do vending operators need to protect their food from during transport, delivery, and service?

Food should be in a clean dry location away from dust and other contaminants. Which of these are places where food should NOT be stored?

Which of these situations can lead to contaminating food?

What are some ways that a food handler with poor personal hygiene can cause a foodborne illness?

How can you use a paper towel to avoid re-contaminating your hands after you finish washing them?

What is the most important thing to consider when storing cleaning tools?

Why should the inside and outside of garbage containers be cleaned often?

When is it acceptable to re-serve bottles of ketchup, mustard, or other condiments to another table?

Which food items can be displayed in a self-service area without packaging, sneeze guards, or a display case to protect them from contamination?

What is usually the cause of unsafe food and foodborne illnesses?

What form of biological contamination causes the most foodborne illnesses?

Staff drinking from beverage containers must be careful to avoid contaminating:

• Their hands
• The beverage container
• Food, utensils, and equipment

What does the lid for the beverage container need to include?

What could happen when a food handler in your operation has any of these issues?

• They’re sneezing or coughing
• They have a foodborne illness
• They have an infected cut or burn
• They have been in contact with a sick person
• They don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom
• They have symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, or jaundice

Which are examples of a natural contaminant?

Why should chemicals never be stored above food or food-contact surfaces?

What are some common actions that can contaminate food and cause illness?

How can a food handler who appears to be healthy spread foodborne pathogens?

What do condiments need to be protected from?

These are examples of common objects that can cause physical contamination if they get into food:

• Broken light bulbs
• Jewelry
• Fake fingernails
• Hair accessories
• False eyelashes
• Broken glass thermometers

What is an example of a natural object that can be a physical contaminant when left in food?

Where do contaminants come from?

Which kind of food can easily become unsafe if not handled carefully?

What should be avoided when checking the temperature of packaged food items?

What four main practices cause food to become unsafe?

Some jurisdictions allow employees to drink from a covered container in food prep areas as long as they avoid contaminating surfaces. How should the container be covered?

Which is true about the differences between a cross-connection, cross-contamination, and cross-contact?

What food safety risk is increased during off-site service?

What is it called when there is something harmful in food?

How can chemical contamination occur?

What kind of food does NOT need to be protected from contamination in a self-service area as other foods do?

Many contaminants are natural and already exist in the plants and animals that we use of food. Which of these is NOT a natural contaminant?

How can contamination be prevented in storage areas?

When should food handlers change their gloves?

What could happen if a physical object falls into food?

To prevent the contamination of food, why is personal cleanliness essential for food handlers?

Which of these poor personal hygiene practices by food handlers can lead to the contamination of food?

Sneeze guards protect food from contamination while it’s displayed in a self-service area. What else can protect food from contamination while displaying it?