Food Safety Personal Hygiene & Handwashing 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How long should the handwashing process take at a minimum?
- 5 seconds
- 10 seconds
- 20 seconds (Correct answer)
- 60 seconds
Correct answer: 20 seconds
Proper handwashing should take at least 20 seconds, including scrubbing all surfaces of the hands and wrists.
Question 2: When must food handlers wash their hands?
- Only before starting a shift
- Only after using the restroom
- After handling raw meat and before touching ready-to-eat food (Correct answer)
- Only when hands are visibly dirty
Correct answer: After handling raw meat and before touching ready-to-eat food
Hands must be washed after handling raw meat and before touching ready-to-eat food to prevent cross-contamination.
Question 3: Which type of soap is required for handwashing in food service?
- Bar soap
- Antibacterial liquid soap only
- Liquid soap (any approved type) (Correct answer)
- Hand sanitizer
Correct answer: Liquid soap (any approved type)
Liquid soap must be used for handwashing in food service; hand sanitizer alone is not an acceptable substitute for proper handwashing.
Question 4: A food handler diagnosed with which illness must be excluded from the operation?
- Common cold
- Seasonal allergies
- Salmonellosis (Correct answer)
- Mild headache
Correct answer: Salmonellosis
A food handler diagnosed with Salmonellosis must be excluded because it is one of the Big 6 illnesses linked to foodborne outbreaks.
Question 5: What is the correct order of steps for handwashing?
- Wet, apply soap, rinse, dry
- Apply soap, wet, scrub, rinse, dry
- Wet, apply soap, scrub, rinse, dry with single-use towel (Correct answer)
- Scrub, wet, rinse, air dry
Correct answer: Wet, apply soap, scrub, rinse, dry with single-use towel
The correct order is: wet hands, apply soap, scrub for at least 20 seconds, rinse thoroughly, and dry with a single-use towel.
Question 6: Which jewelry is acceptable for a food handler to wear while preparing food?
- Rings with gemstones
- Bracelets
- A plain wedding band (Correct answer)
- A wristwatch
Correct answer: A plain wedding band
A plain wedding band without stones is the only jewelry typically permitted for food handlers during food preparation.
Food Safety Personal Hygiene & Handwashing 1
How long should the handwashing process take at a minimum?