Alberta Food Handler: Foodborne illness and high-risk foods

All 16 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

1. Which kitchen process does the Food Code identify as a known contributor to foodborne illness?

   1. Labelling containers with the date made
   2. Serving food on plates warmed in an oven
   3. Washing produce in clean running water
   4. Cooling large batches of food in bulk

2. Under the Food Regulation, which is an example of contamination?

   1. A sandwich that has been cut into four pieces
   2. Soup served in a large bowl
   3. Insect parts found in a bag of flour
   4. Bread placed in a paper bag

3. Which customers does the Food Code describe as higher risk for foodborne illness?

   1. Healthy adults who eat out at restaurants several times a week
   2. Athletes who eat high-protein meals after training
   3. Customers who order takeout rather than dining in
   4. The elderly, young children and people with weak immune systems

4. Which bacterium does the Food Code warn can multiply in meat, poultry or gravy held just below hot-holding temperature?

   1. Lactobacillus acidophilus
   2. Saccharomyces cerevisiae
   3. Streptococcus thermophilus
   4. Clostridium perfringens

5. Which group of foods does the Food Code list as high-risk?

   1. Peanut butter, butter and dry pasta
   2. Bread, crackers and dry breakfast cereal
   3. Custards, gravies and cream-filled pastries
   4. Unopened cans and sealed flexible pouches

6. Why does the Food Code require seafood to be kept at 3.3 °C or colder?

   1. To make the seafood easier to fillet
   2. To keep the seafood from losing its bright natural colour
   3. To stop the ice around it from melting
   4. To prevent growth and toxin production by C. botulinum

7. Which of these is a potentially hazardous food under Alberta's Food Code?

   1. Unopened canned soup
   2. Cooked chicken
   3. Peanut butter
   4. Dry crackers

8. Why can reheated food support germs more easily than raw food?

   1. Reheated food is always stored in plastic containers
   2. Reheating adds new germs from the hot air in the oven
   3. Cooking killed the spoilage bacteria that compete with pathogens
   4. Raw food always contains more nutrients for germs to feed on

9. How does the Food Regulation define a low-risk food?

   1. One whose pH or water activity generally will not support germ growth
   2. One that is sold at a price below five dollars per item
   3. One that has been cooked at least once, no matter what its ingredients are
   4. One that is kept in the refrigerator for less than a week

10. Which foods are NOT considered potentially hazardous because of their acidity?

    1. Foods with a pH of 7.0 or above
    2. Foods of any pH if kept covered
    3. Foods with a pH of exactly 6.0
    4. Foods with a pH of 4.6 or below

11. According to the Food Code, which practice is consistently one of the leading causes of foodborne illness?

    1. Using too much salt in recipes
    2. Storing dry goods off the floor
    3. Taking too long to cool cooked food
    4. Serving food on cold plates

12. Which of these is listed as a medium-risk food in the Food Code?

    1. Raw chicken
    2. Dry cereal
    3. Soft cheese
    4. Saltines

13. Which unpasteurized product does the Food Code list as high-risk?

    1. Hard candy
    2. Apple cider
    3. Dry pasta
    4. Table salt

14. Which symptom suggests a food handler may have a communicable illness that can spread through food?

    1. Diarrhea
    2. A sunburn
    3. Tired eyes
    4. A sore knee

15. Below what water activity is a food not considered potentially hazardous?

    1. 0.98
    2. 0.85
    3. 1.50
    4. 4.60

16. What does freezing do to the micro-organisms in food?

    1. It stops their growth but does not kill them all
    2. It makes the germs grow faster after the food is thawed
    3. It has no effect on germs at any temperature
    4. It kills every germ in the food within a day