In what order is it best to prepare foods at the same station?

Cooked or ready-to-eat foods before raw foods

The most expensive foods first, to protect them

Raw foods before everything else, to get them done

Any order at all, as long as you work quickly

Where should raw meat, poultry and fish be stored in a fridge?

Covered, below ready-to-eat foods

Next to desserts, to save space

MAPAQ Food Handler overview

MAPAQ Food Handler: Preventing contamination

Direct and cross-contamination, storing raw foods and allergens, shelf heights off the floor, frying oil, cutting boards, sneeze guards, cracked eggs and damaged cans.

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13 questions
Topic drill

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Preventing contamination · Question 1Score 0/0

What is the minimum height above the floor for fixed storage shelving?

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Study reference: MAPAQ Guide to good hygiene and food safety practices and quebec.ca (Oct 2026), Ch. 5 Contamination — Guide, Preventing contamination; quebec.ca Foodborne illness

All 13 questions in this test

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

What is the minimum height above the floor for fixed storage shelving?
1. 30 cm
2. 2 cm
3. 10 cm
4. 1 m
In what order is it best to prepare foods at the same station?
1. The most expensive foods first, to protect them
2. Cooked or ready-to-eat foods before raw foods
3. Raw foods before everything else, to get them done
4. Any order at all, as long as you work quickly
Where should raw meat, poultry and fish be stored in a fridge?
1. Covered, below ready-to-eat foods
2. Next to desserts, to save space
3. Directly on the walk-in floor
4. On the top shelf, uncovered
How should foods with allergens be stored relative to allergen-free foods?
1. Below the allergen-free foods
2. Mixed in the same container
3. Above the allergen-free foods
4. With no special precaution
Dry goods sit on a wheeled rack that can be moved for cleaning. How high above the floor must that movable rack be?
1. 15 cm
2. 8 cm
3. 2 cm
4. 50 cm
Lettuce is cut on a board just used for raw chicken. What type of contamination is this?
1. Chemical contamination
2. Direct contamination from soil
3. Cross-contamination
4. None, if the board is dry
A crate of vegetables was set on the floor of the delivery yard. What should you avoid?
1. Putting it on the preparation counter afterwards
2. Washing the vegetables carefully before using them
3. Storing it in the walk-in cooler with the other produce
4. Recording the delivery in the supplier register
Which practice helps prevent cross-contamination when cutting food?
1. One board for vegetables and another for raw meat
2. Wiping the board with a dry towel between foods
3. One board for everything, rinsed in cold water
4. Cutting raw meat directly on the counter
Which unpackaged products do not need protection from public handling?
1. Fish at the counter
2. Dishes on a hot buffet
3. Prepared salads
4. Fresh fruit and vegetables
Why should fries not be cooked in the same oil as fish?
1. Fish is an allergen that can contaminate the fries
2. The fries absorb too much salt from the fish batter
3. The fish cooks less evenly after a batch of fries
4. The oil cools down too quickly between the two batches
Raw meat juice drips directly onto a cake in the fridge. What type of contamination is this?
1. Direct contamination
2. Cross-contamination by hands
3. Harmless contamination
4. Physical contamination
An egg is cracked but its contents do not leak. What can be done?
1. Serve it raw in a salad dressing the same day
2. Freeze it whole in its shell for use within a month
3. Keep it in its shell at room temperature for a week
4. Break it into a bowl, refrigerate it and use it within two days
Why should brushes and wiping cloths be replaced regularly?
1. They can become a source of contamination
2. Buying new ones costs less than washing old ones
3. They become too soft to scrub off stuck-on food
4. They fade and look worn after a few weeks of use

Preventing contamination: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

Preventing contamination

Direct contamination: food touches a pathogen source (feces, sewage, raw meat or juice, soil, animals, insects), a chemical contaminant (including allergens) or a foreign object.
Cross-contamination: food touches equipment, surfaces or hands contaminated by such a source.
Clean and sanitize equipment and surfaces used for raw foods before handling cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
Wash hands often; wash, sanitize and replace brushes, scrubbers and cloths regularly.
Do not fry different foods in the same oil (e.g. fries and fish, an allergen).
Do not put containers that touched the floor on counters.
Raw meat, poultry and fish never touch cooked or ready-to-eat food; store them covered, below ready-to-eat foods.
Store foods containing allergens below allergen-free foods.
Nothing directly on the floor: fixed shelving at least 10 cm high, movable shelving at least 8 cm.
Except fresh produce, protect unpackaged food from public handling (sneeze guards on buffets, fish and salad counters).

Foodborne illness (cross-contamination)

Use separate cutting boards for vegetables and raw meats if possible.
Prepare cooked or ready-to-eat foods before raw foods.
Discard broken or cracked eggs that leak; a cracked egg that does not leak can be broken into a bowl, refrigerated and used within two days.
Discard bulging or damaged cans, or ones that spurt or smell abnormal when opened.

Study the Preventing contamination rules as flashcards →