Free ServSafe Food Safety Management Systems Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a food safety management system like HACCP?
- To document recipes and cooking procedures
- To identify and control possible hazards throughout the flow of food (Correct answer)
- To respond to customer complaints about food quality
- To reduce food costs and minimize waste
Correct answer: To identify and control possible hazards throughout the flow of food
A food safety management system is a proactive group of practices and procedures intended to prevent foodborne illness. It does this by actively controlling risks and hazards throughout the flow of food, rather than just reacting to problems.
Question 2: A manager notices a food handler has not been washing their hands correctly and retrains them. This is an example of:
- A critical control point
- A standard operating procedure (SOP)
- Active managerial control (Correct answer)
- Hazard analysis
Correct answer: Active managerial control
Active managerial control means taking a hands-on approach to food safety. By observing procedures and providing immediate on-the-spot training, the manager is actively preventing potential food safety hazards.
Question 3: Which of the following is the first step when implementing a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan?
- Establish critical limits
- Establish monitoring procedures
- Conduct a hazard analysis (Correct answer)
- Determine critical control points (CCPs)
Correct answer: Conduct a hazard analysis
The first principle of HACCP is to conduct a hazard analysis. This involves identifying any potential biological, chemical, or physical hazards at every step in the flow of food so that they can be controlled or eliminated.
Question 4: In a HACCP plan, cooking a chicken breast to 165°F is an example of which principle?
- Verification
- Establishing critical limits (Correct answer)
- Monitoring
- Record keeping
Correct answer: Establishing critical limits
A critical limit is a minimum or maximum value that must be met to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a hazard to a safe level. Cooking the chicken to 165°F is the specific limit set to eliminate the biological hazard of Salmonella.
Question 5: A food handler checks the temperature of chili in a steam table and finds it is 125°F. The chili is immediately reheated to 165°F. This action is an example of a:
- Hazard analysis
- Verification procedure
- Monitoring procedure
- Corrective action (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Corrective action
A corrective action is a predetermined step taken when a critical limit is not met. Since the chili was below the minimum hot-holding temperature of 135°F, reheating it was the correct step to fix the problem and make the food safe.
Question 6: Which of these is a key component of active managerial control?
- Purchasing food from the cheapest available supplier
- Creating policies that require food handlers to report illnesses (Correct answer)
- Waiting for a health inspection to identify problems
- Relying solely on customer feedback for food safety
Correct answer: Creating policies that require food handlers to report illnesses
Active managerial control involves identifying risks, creating policies and procedures to control them, training staff, and monitoring the effectiveness of these measures. Creating specific policies, such as a rule that food handlers must report illnesses, is a foundational part of this proactive system.
Free ServSafe Food Safety Management Systems Questions and Answers 1
What is the primary purpose of a food safety management system like HACCP?