FOOD HANDLERS Flashcards
All good service establishments must have
A current and valid permit issued by the NYC health department
When do health inspectors have the right to inspect a food service or food processing establishment?
As long as it is in operation
During an inspection, inspectors must be given access to
All areas of the food establishment
Who is required to have a food protection certificate?
Supervisors of all food service establishments
Food is defined as
Any edible substance, ice, beverage, or an ingredient intended for use and used or sold for human consumption
Potential Hazardous Food (PHF) refers to?
Foods which support rapid growth of microorganisms
Examples of Potentially Hazardous Foods
Examples: raw and cooked meats, poultry, milk and milk products, fish, shellfish, tofu, cooked rice, pasta, beans, potatoes, cut leafy greens, cut tomatoes and lemons, garlic in oil etc.
(Exceptions: Air-cooled hard-boiled eggs with intact shell, beef jerky, cheese pizza, crispy bacon)
Not Potentially Hazardous prepared foods
 Air-cooled hard-boiled eggs with intact shell, beef jerky, cheese pizza, crispy bacon
The Temperature Danger Zone
Between 41•F and 140•F
The THREE thermometers allowed to be used for measuring food temperatures:
- Bi Metallic Stem (range from 0•F to 220•F)
- Thermocouple
- Thermistor (Digital)
Glass Thermometers
Kind of thermometer which are prohibited by law in a food establishment
Meat inspected by the US Department of agriculture must have what?
Must have a USDA inspection stamp
Raw shell eggs must be stored at a minimum temperature of
45°F
Smoked fish must be held at
38°F or below
Smoked fish held above what temperature causes the growth of which kind of bacteria
38°F causes growth of the bacteria Clostridium Botulinum
All refrigerated foods must be held at or below
41°F
Shellfish must be received with
The shellfish tags
After shellfish is used up
Tags must be kept on file for at least 90 days
Milk and milk products must be pasteurized with sell by date of
9 days
Milk and milk products must be ULTRA pasteurized with sell-by dates of 
45 days
All fruits and vegetables served raw must be
Thoroughly washed before being served
Canned products must be rejected if there are
Dents at the seam, Swelling, severe rust, leakage or no label.
(Exception: Slight dent on the body of the can)
Home canned foods
Are unacceptable types of canning
All commercial modified atmosphere packaged foods
Type of packaged food that must be used per manufacture specifications
Vacuum packaging of any food product in a retail food establishment
Prohibited by law unless special authorization is obtained through the department of health
The acronyms FIFO means
First In First Out
The first step in implementing FIFO is to…
Date the products is the first step
How far off the floor must all food items be stored
6” or more
In order to prevent cross contamination, raw foods in our refrigerator must be stored
Below cooked foods
Cold temperatures
Slow down the growth of microorganisms
All cold foods must be held at
41°F or below at all times (except smoked fish at 38°F)
Dry storage areas
Must be kept well lighted and ventilated
Never store foods
Under waste water lines
Qualities of food for storage must be
Kept covered and stored in vermin-proof containers
Ice intended for human consumption
Cannot be used for storing cans, bottles or other food products
When foods are stored directly in ice
The water from the ice must be drained constantly
”First Aid Choking” poster
Must be displayed conspicuously in each designated eating area
Food establishments which serve alcoholic beverages are required to display
The “Alcohol and Pregnancy Warning” sign
a “Wash Hands” sign
Must be displayed at all hand washing sinks
“No Smoking” signs
Must be displayed throughout each facility
There are three main hazards to our health in a food establishment
Physical, chemical and biological
A physical hazard in food
The presence of a foreign object (Glass fragments, pieces of metal, etc.)
A chemical hazard
Presence of harmful chemicals (pesticides, cleaning agents, prescriptions medicine etc.) in a food
The presence of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi) in food is what kind of hazard?
Biological
Foods that have been contaminated with pathogenic bacteria
Have no change in appearance, taste or smell
Under favorable conditions bacteria can double their population in what amount of time?
Every 20 to 30 minutes
There are four phases of bacterial growth:
Lag, Log, Stationary and Death
The most rapid growth of bacteria (FATTOM) takes place in what phase
The LOG phase
The six factors that affect the growth of bacteria are:
Food, Acidity (Low Acidity), TDZ, Time, Oxygen, Moister (FATTOM)
Viruses cannot
Reproduce in food; they only use food as a means to get inside the human body
Hepatitis A and Norovirus contaminate the food supply
Through fecal (human) contaminated waters and food 
Trichinella Spiralis
The food-borne parasite typically found in undercooked pork
Trichinosis Parasite
Caused by a parasite known as Trichinella Spiralis
Trichinella Spiralis cooking requirements:
Can be eliminated by cooking pork to 155°F for 15 seconds
Marine fish contain what?
Anisakis simplex (a food-borne parasite)
Salmonella Enteritidis
Mainly associated with raw poultry and raw shell eggs
One must always use pasteurized eggs only…
When preparing any egg recipe where eggs are not cooked or partially cooked
Clostridium Perfringens growth can be controlled by
Rapid cooling, rapid reheating and avoid preparing foods in advance
Staphylococcal food intoxication
Is caused by Staphylococcus Aureus
Foodborne illness Staphylococcal food Intoxication can be prevented by
Good personal hygiene and avoiding bare hands contact with ready to eat foods
Food workers sick with an illness I can be transmitted by contact with food or through food should be
Prevented from working until fully recovered
Ground meats such as hamburgers must be cooked to a minimum temperature
158°F to eliminate E. coli 0157:H7
E. Coli 0157.H7 is caused by
Ground meat not cooked over 158°F
Botulism is caused by
Clostridium Botulinum
What viruses home canned foods associated with
Clostridium botulinum bacterium
Ciguatera Intoxication occurs in what kind of environmental conditions
Warm weather when toxic red algae in the water are eaten by small fish. The small fish are than eaten by certain predatory fish (barracuda, red snapper etc)
Humans become sick from predatory fish with accumulated toxins from
Red algae
Scombroid poisoning occurs from
Eating certain fish (ie tuna, mackerel, bonito, mahi mahi, blue fish etc.) With high levels of histamines due to time and temperature abuse
Hands must be washed thoroughly after
Any activity in which the hands have become contaminated. For example, before starting work, after handling raw foods, coughing, sneezing, smoking, eating, drinking, scratching, etc.
The NYC Health Code requires That handwashing sinks must be located…
Within 25 feet of each food preparation, food service and wear washing area and in or adjacent to employee and patron bathrooms
The hand wash sinks must be provided with
Soap, hot and cold running water, disposable towels or a hand dryer and a “wash hands” sign
The Nyc health code requires that all food workers wear…
Proper hair restraints, clean aprons and outer garments, abstain from wearing jewelry and wearing make up
It is illegal to handle ready to eat foods
With bare hands. Workers must use gloves, tongs, deli paper, spatula or other clean and sanitary utensils. Foods that will be cooked (ie raw beef for stew, raw dough for bread, etc) may be handled with clean bare hands. 
To handle ready to eat foods, workers must use…
Gloves, tongs, deli paper, spatula or other clean and sanitary utensils