CCA Menu Planning & Nutrition 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which menu engineering quadrant describes items with high popularity but low profitability?
- Stars
- Plowhorses (Correct answer)
- Puzzles
- Dogs
Correct answer: Plowhorses
Plowhorses are high-popularity, low-profitability items that operators may consider repositioning or reformulating to improve margins.
Question 2: A patient on a 2,000 mg sodium diet orders a dish containing 850 mg sodium per serving. How many milligrams of sodium are remaining for the rest of the day?
- 1,000 mg
- 1,150 mg (Correct answer)
- 1,300 mg
- 950 mg
Correct answer: 1,150 mg
2,000 mg minus 850 mg leaves 1,150 mg of sodium available for the remainder of the day.
Question 3: Which fat-soluble vitamin plays the most critical role in calcium absorption and bone health?
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin D (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for intestinal calcium absorption and maintaining proper bone mineralization.
Question 4: A cycle menu most directly benefits a healthcare foodservice operation by:
- Allowing chefs to cook only their favorite recipes
- Reducing purchasing and production planning complexity over repeated intervals (Correct answer)
- Eliminating the need for standardized recipes
- Increasing menu variety every single day
Correct answer: Reducing purchasing and production planning complexity over repeated intervals
Cycle menus rotate on a set schedule, which streamlines purchasing, prep, and staffing by creating predictable production patterns.
Question 5: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that added sugars account for no more than what percentage of total daily calories?
- 5%
- 10% (Correct answer)
- 15%
- 20%
Correct answer: 10%
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise limiting added sugars to less than 10% of total daily caloric intake.
Question 6: Which of the following proteins is considered a complete protein because it contains all essential amino acids?
- Wheat gluten
- Kidney beans
- Quinoa (Correct answer)
- Brown rice
Correct answer: Quinoa
Quinoa is one of the few plant foods that provides all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein source.
Question 7: When calculating a menu item's food cost percentage, which formula is correct?
- Selling price ÷ food cost × 100
- Food cost ÷ selling price × 100 (Correct answer)
- Food cost × selling price × 100
- Selling price − food cost × 100
Correct answer: Food cost ÷ selling price × 100
Food cost percentage equals the cost of ingredients divided by the menu selling price, multiplied by 100.
CCA Menu Planning & Nutrition 2
Which menu engineering quadrant describes items with high popularity but low profitability?