CODESP Food Service and Nutrition Services — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the minimum safe internal cooking temperature for poultry, such as chicken served in a school cafeteria?
- 165°F (Correct answer)
- 145°F
- 135°F
- 120°F
Correct answer: 165°F
Food safety codes require poultry to reach an internal temperature of 165°F to destroy harmful bacteria such as Salmonella.
Question 2: The temperature range in which bacteria grow most rapidly in food, known as the 'danger zone,' is:
- 41°F to 135°F (Correct answer)
- 32°F to 100°F
- 0°F to 41°F
- 135°F to 165°F
Correct answer: 41°F to 135°F
Under the FDA Food Code, potentially hazardous foods must be kept below 41°F or above 135°F because bacteria multiply fastest in the range between those temperatures.
Question 3: A cafeteria worker notices a student's meal must be peanut-free due to an allergy. What is the most important practice when preparing that meal?
- Use separate utensils, surfaces, and gloves to prevent cross-contact with allergens (Correct answer)
- Serve the meal first before other students
- Heat the meal to a higher temperature to destroy the allergen
- Rinse the regular serving spoon in water between uses
Correct answer: Use separate utensils, surfaces, and gloves to prevent cross-contact with allergens
Food allergens are not destroyed by heat, so the only reliable protection is preventing cross-contact through dedicated or thoroughly cleaned utensils, surfaces, and fresh gloves.
Question 4: A recipe serves 25 students and calls for 5 cups of rice. How many cups are needed to serve 150 students?
- 30 cups (Correct answer)
- 25 cups
- 35 cups
- 20 cups
Correct answer: 30 cups
Serving 150 students is 6 times the original yield of 25, so the rice must be scaled by 6: 5 cups × 6 = 30 cups.
Question 5: When should a food service worker wash their hands?
- After using the restroom, handling raw food, touching the face or hair, and before putting on gloves (Correct answer)
- Only at the start of the shift
- Only when hands look visibly dirty
- Only after handling money
Correct answer: After using the restroom, handling raw food, touching the face or hair, and before putting on gloves
Proper hand hygiene requires washing after any contaminating activity — restroom use, handling raw foods, touching the body, taking out trash — and before glove use, not just when hands appear dirty.
Question 6: Under proper cold-storage practice, where should raw chicken be placed in a walk-in refrigerator?
- On the bottom shelf, below ready-to-eat foods (Correct answer)
- On the top shelf, above produce
- Next to prepared salads on the middle shelf
- Anywhere, as long as it is covered
Correct answer: On the bottom shelf, below ready-to-eat foods
Raw poultry is stored on the lowest shelf so its juices cannot drip onto ready-to-eat or less-hazardous foods, preventing cross-contamination.
CODESP Food Service and Nutrition Services
What is the minimum safe internal cooking temperature for poultry, such as chicken served in a school cafeteria?