Facilities, Pests, Food Defense, and Exam Day

Garbage

• Indoor garbage containers must be leak-proof, pest-proof, and have tight-fitting lids.
• Line them with bags, and empty them before they overflow.
• Clean the containers themselves regularly, inside and out.
• Take the garbage out often, and wash your hands afterward.
• Do not carry garbage across a food prep area if there is another route.
• Outdoor containers and dumpsters sit on a smooth, durable, and nonabsorbent surface such as concrete or asphalt, with lids closed and drain plugs in place.
• If pests or odor are becoming a problem, one legitimate fix is more frequent garbage collection.

Pests

Pests carry pathogens on their bodies and in their droppings, and a visible infestation can close an operation.

How to keep them out:

• Keep exterior doors closed, with door sweeps and screens in good repair
• Seal cracks, gaps, and holes in walls, floors, and around pipes
• Inspect deliveries for pests before bringing them in
• Store food in sealed containers, 6 inches off the floor
• Clean up spills and crumbs right away
• Fix leaks. Pests need water as much as food
• Get rid of clutter, cardboard, and standing water

Signs to report to your manager immediately:

Pesticides are not your job. Only a licensed pest control operator (PCO) applies chemicals in a foodservice operation. Your job is prevention and reporting.

Exam Tip: Cockroach droppings look like black pepper, and there is an oily musty smell. Rodent signs are droppings, gnaw marks, nesting material, and greasy rub marks. Report the signs. Do not spray anything yourself.

Handwashing Sinks and Facility Basics

• A handwashing sink is for handwashing only, and must be stocked with soap, a way to dry hands, a waste container, and running water at least 100F (38C).
• Never block a handwashing sink with a cart, a box, or a trash can.
• Report leaks, broken equipment, cracked floor tiles, burned-out lights, and anything else that could contaminate food.
• Light bulbs over food prep and storage areas must be shatter-resistant or shielded, so a broken bulb does not become physical contamination.

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Everything so far has been about preventing accidental contamination. Food defense is about protecting food from deliberate contamination or tampering.

The threat can come from a disgruntled current or former employee, a competitor, an activist, a vendor, or a stranger who walks in through an unlocked back door.

The FDA tool used to build employee awareness is Employees FIRST:

What "out of the ordinary" looks like on a shift:

• A stranger in the kitchen, the walk-in, or the storeroom
• Someone taking photos of prep areas or asking oddly detailed questions about your procedures
• A container that has been opened, resealed, or moved
• Packaging with a broken seal, a torn label, or a stain that was not there before
• Chemicals stored somewhere they do not belong
• A back door propped open

What to do: do not taste it, do not try to fix it, and do not throw it out on your own. Tell your manager immediately and leave the item where it is.

Exam Tip: The acronym is FIRST: Follow, Inspect, Recognize, Secure, Tell. If you learned an older five-letter food defense acronym from an out-of-date book, that framework has been replaced.

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Everything worth memorizing, in one place. If you only have twenty minutes before your exam, read this section.

Temperatures

Times

Sanitizer Concentrations

Lists Worth Memorizing

The Big 9 allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame.

The Big 6 pathogens: Salmonella Typhi, nontyphoidal Salmonella, Shigella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Hepatitis A, norovirus.

The four reportable symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever.

The four high-risk populations: older adults, children under 5, pregnant people, people with weakened immune systems.

The five CDC risk factors: unsafe sources, inadequate cooking, improper holding temperatures, contaminated equipment, poor personal hygiene.

FAT TOM: Food, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen, Moisture.

The four thawing methods: refrigerator, running water at 70F (21C) or lower, microwave then cook immediately, as part of cooking.

Cooler storage order, top to bottom: ready-to-eat, seafood, whole cuts of beef and pork, ground meat, poultry.

The five cleaning steps: scrape, wash, rinse, sanitize, air dry.

Employees FIRST: Follow, Inspect, Recognize, Secure, Tell.

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Before you start:

• Find a quiet place with a stable internet connection. The exam is unproctored, so you can take it at home.
• Have your certificate details ready: your legal name spelled correctly, and your employer if the form asks.
• Read the Quick Reference section one more time.

While you take it:

• There is no time limit. Slow down. Nobody is timing you.
• Read the whole question, then read all four options before you choose. Several questions include an option that is true but does not answer the question asked.
• Watch for the words "first," "best," "most," "never," and "except." These change the answer completely. "What should the food handler do first?" and "What should the food handler do?" have different correct answers.
• Watch for the setting. A hospital, nursing home, preschool, or daycare means a high-risk population and stricter rules.
• Watch for the food type. Ready-to-eat changes the answer. Ground changes the answer. Stuffed changes the answer.
• When two options look right, pick the one that is safer and that acts sooner. Food safety answers are conservative. When in doubt, throw it out, wash your hands, and tell your manager.
• Skip and come back rather than sitting on one question.

Common traps:

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