TFHC Cross-Contamination Prevention 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the correct procedure if a food worker accidentally drops a raw chicken breast on a prep counter where vegetables are being cut?
- Remove the chicken, then wash, rinse, and sanitize the entire surface before resuming vegetable prep (Correct answer)
- Wipe the counter with a sanitizer towel and continue
- Move the vegetables to a new area and continue using the counter
- Discard the chicken and continue prepping vegetables on the same surface
Correct answer: Remove the chicken, then wash, rinse, and sanitize the entire surface before resuming vegetable prep
The entire surface must be properly cleaned and sanitized to eliminate all bacterial contamination before any other food prep continues.
Question 2: Which practice is an example of direct cross-contamination?
- Placing a cooked steak back on the same plate that held the raw steak (Correct answer)
- Forgetting to date a container of cooked rice
- Leaving a dish of pasta on the counter for 2 hours
- Using a plastic cutting board instead of wood
Correct answer: Placing a cooked steak back on the same plate that held the raw steak
Returning cooked food to the raw-food plate directly transfers bacteria from the unwashed plate to the safely cooked food.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of using separate cutting boards for different food types?
- To prevent the transfer of pathogens or allergens from one food to another (Correct answer)
- To make cleaning and sanitizing easier
- To follow food industry color trends
- To meet minimum equipment purchase requirements
Correct answer: To prevent the transfer of pathogens or allergens from one food to another
Separate cutting boards create a physical barrier between different food types, preventing pathogens and allergens from transferring between them.
Question 4: A food worker stirs raw beef stew with a spoon and then uses the same spoon to taste-test a sauce without washing it. This represents what type of hazard?
- Biological cross-contamination (Correct answer)
- Chemical contamination
- Physical contamination
- Time-temperature abuse
Correct answer: Biological cross-contamination
Using the same utensil on raw and cooked/ready foods transfers live bacteria, causing biological cross-contamination.
Question 5: Which type of food contamination occurs when a food handler's earring falls into a salad bowl?
- Physical contamination (Correct answer)
- Biological contamination
- Chemical contamination
- Cross-contamination
Correct answer: Physical contamination
Physical contamination involves foreign objects (jewelry, hair, glass, bones) entering food, which can cause injury or choking.
Question 6: When should a food handler change their gloves to prevent cross-contamination?
- After touching raw meat, before touching ready-to-eat food, after four hours of continuous use, and when switching tasks (Correct answer)
- Only when the gloves visibly tear or puncture
- Every two hours regardless of task
- Only when moving from one work station to another
Correct answer: After touching raw meat, before touching ready-to-eat food, after four hours of continuous use, and when switching tasks
Gloves must be changed at critical transition points — between raw and ready-to-eat foods, after contamination, and regularly during extended use.
TFHC Cross-Contamination Prevention 2
What is the correct procedure if a food worker accidentally drops a raw chicken breast on a prep counter where vegetables are being cut?