How should food workers deter pests from outdoor dumpsters? a. Set traps around the dumpsters b. Hang a tarp over the dumpster area c. Keep the area around dumpsters clean d. Apply pesticides to the dumpster lids What must a food worker wear when working with ready-to-eat food to prevent cross-contamination? a. Rubber gloves b. Non-slip shoes c. Closed-toe shoes d. Single-use gloves A food worker often wears nail polish or artificial nails. How should the food worker protect the food she prepares from contamination? a. Wear gloves when working with food b. Wash her hands twice as often as normal c. Report to her manager if she loses an artificial nail d. Use a clear coat of nail polish to keep the paint from chipping What should a food worker do to prevent a physical hazard from making food unsafe to eat? a. Hold hot foods above 135°F (57°C) b. Wash hands before taking out the garbage c. Remove and discard bones from a fish fillet d. Use cleaning and sanitizing solutions away from food A food worker has finished organizing the fridge and returns to the kitchen. What must he do before slicing bread? a. Sharpen his knife b. Get out a cutting board c. Wash his hands and put on new gloves d. Remove his gloves and work with bare hands A food worker reheats fried rice for hot holding. After an hour, he measures the temperature at 167°F (75°C). What should he do next? a. Discard the rice b. Add ice to cool the dish c. Place the rice on hot-holding equipment d. Continue heating until its temperature reaches 170°F (77°C) A food worker cleans the inside of a pizza oven using a steel wire brush. After the oven is clean, it is set to 500°F (260°C) to cook pizza. What potential food hazard should the food worker consider? a. Heat from the oven b. Listeria monocytogenes c. Bristles from the wire brush d. Thickly sliced vegetable toppings
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Here are the correct answers to each question, followed by a 300-word explanation of the key food safety principles involved:
- How should food workers deter pests from outdoor dumpsters?
✅ c. Keep the area around dumpsters clean - What must a food worker wear when working with ready-to-eat food to prevent cross-contamination?
✅ d. Single-use gloves - A food worker often wears nail polish or artificial nails. How should the food worker protect the food she prepares from contamination?
✅ a. Wear gloves when working with food - What should a food worker do to prevent a physical hazard from making food unsafe to eat?
✅ c. Remove and discard bones from a fish fillet - A food worker has finished organizing the fridge and returns to the kitchen. What must he do before slicing bread?
✅ c. Wash his hands and put on new gloves - A food worker reheats fried rice for hot holding. After an hour, he measures the temperature at 167°F (75°C). What should he do next?
✅ c. Place the rice on hot-holding equipment - A food worker cleans the inside of a pizza oven using a steel wire brush. After the oven is clean, it is set to 500°F (260°C) to cook pizza. What potential food hazard should the food worker consider?
✅ c. Bristles from the wire brush
Explanation
Food safety requires strict attention to both cleanliness and contamination risks. Outdoor dumpsters must be kept clean and free of food waste spills to deter pests, which are vectors for diseases. Simply setting traps or using tarps doesn’t address the root issue—cleanliness.
When handling ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, single-use gloves are essential to prevent bare hand contact and reduce the risk of cross-contamination. This is especially important for food workers wearing nail polish or artificial nails, which can flake or break off into food, presenting a physical hazard.
Speaking of physical hazards, any object like bones, metal fragments, or brush bristles that may end up in food must be carefully removed. In the case of the steel wire brush, tiny metal bristles can come loose and pose a serious risk if they end up in food cooked in the oven.
Handwashing and glove-changing are required after non-food-related tasks like organizing a fridge. Touching surfaces and returning to food prep without proper sanitation is a major source of contamination.
Reheated food, like fried rice, must reach at least 165°F (74°C) to be safe. At 167°F, the rice is ready for hot holding, which requires maintaining it at 135°F (57°C) or above. There’s no need to heat it further; instead, it should be moved to hot-holding equipment immediately.
By following these protocols, food workers ensure they are minimizing biological, physical, and chemical hazards, maintaining food safety and protecting public health.
