ServeSafe Manager Study Material: Essential Terms and Definitions

a disease transmitted to people by food

What is a foodborne illness?

1. two or more people have the same symptoms from eating the same food

2. an investigation is conducted by state and local regulatory authorities

3. the outbreak is confirmed by a laboratory analysis

What 3 things make a foodborne illness considered an outbreak?

1. fast paced environment with short time frame

2. differenced in language and culture between employers and employees

3. differences in education making it hard to teach employees

4. illness-causing pathogens can get into food

5. unapproved suppliers

6. high-risk costumers

7. high staff turnover leads to less time to train in food safety

What are the 7 things that can lead to unsafe food practices?

1. young children

2. elderly

3. pregnant women

4. immunocompromised

What 4 groups of people are considered high-risk customers for getting a foodborne illness?

biological, physical, and chemical

What are the 3 types of contaminants?

pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi

What are biological contaminants?

foreign objects such as metal shavings, bandages, and fish bones

What are physical contaminants?

foodservice chemicals such as cleaners, sanitizers, and polishes

What are chemical contaminants?

when food has stayed in the temperatures that are good for the growth of pathogens (temperature danger zone) for too long

What is time-temperature abuse?

pathogens transferred from one surface/food to another

What is cross-contamination?

TCS (temperature control for safety) and ready-to-eat foods

What 2 types of food are the most likely to become unsafe and cause foodborne illnesses?

food that can be eaten without further preparation, washing, or cooking

What are ready-to-eat foods?

all food types except meat, poultry, and eggs

What foods does the FDA inspect?

FDA

Who issues Food Codes?

meat, poultry, and eggs

What foods does the USDA regulate (3)

c). sea salt

Which is a ready-to-eat food?

a). uncooked rice

b). raw deboned chicken

c). sea salt

d). unwashed green beans

c). sprouts

Which of the following is a TCS food?

a). bread

b). flour

c). sprouts

d). strawberries

time-temperature abuse

What risk does leaving raw chicken breasts out at room temperature demonstrate?

when a food handler uses the bathroom and doesn't wash their hands before touching food or food-preperation surfaces

What is the fecal-oral route of contamination?

harmful microorganisms that can make you sick or produce toxins/poisons that make you sick

What are pathogens?

bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi/molds

What are the 4 types of pathogens?

1. Shigella spp.

2. Salmonella Typhi

3. Nontyphoidal Salmonella (NTS)

4. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), also known as E. coli

5. Hepatitis A

6. Norovirus

What are the Big Six pathogens?

can be found on nearly every surface including on and in our body

What is the location of bacteria?

no

Can bacteria be seen, smelled, or tasted?

FAT TOM

What acronym is the 6 characteristics needed for bacteria to grow?

control time and temperature

What is the most important way to prevent bacteria from causing a foodborne illness?

food

What does the F in FAT TOM stand for?

most bacteria need nutrients to survive

Why is food a characteristic needed for bacterial growth?

TCS foods

What type of food support the most growth of bacteria?

acidity

What does the A in FAT TOM stand for?

neutral to slightly acidic

What type of pH do bacteria grow best?

temperature

What does the first T in FAT TOM stand for?

41-135 degrees F

What is the temperature danger zone?

70-125 degrees F

What portion of the temperature danger zone has the most rapid bacterial growth?

time

What does the second T in FAT TOM stand for?

bacteria need time to grow and the longer bacteria spend in the temperature danger zone, the more bacteria grow

Why is time a characteristic of bacterial growth?

oxygen

What does the O in FAT TOM stand for?

not all, some grow only when oxygen is not present

Do all bacteria require oxygen to grow?

moisture

What does the M in FAT TOM stand for?

high moisture levels

What type of moisture level do bacteria grow best in?

water activity

What is the amount of moisture available in food for bacterial growth?

0.0 (lowest)-1.0 (highest)

What does the water activity scale range from?

salmonella typhi, nontyphoidal salmonella, shigella spp., E. coli

What are the 4 main types of bacteria that cause foodborne illness?

only in humans (can be found in feces weeks after symptoms cease)

Where does salmonella typhi live?

ready-to-eat foods and beverages

What 2 types of food are linked with salmonella typhi?

many farm animals

Where is nontyphoidal salmonella found?

poultry, eggs, meat, milk/dairy products, and produce

What 5 foods are linked with nontyphoidal salmonella?

human feces and flies (transferred feces bacteria to food)

What are the 2 sources of shigella spp.?

food that is easily contaminated by hands and food that comes into contact/washed with contaminated water

What 2 types of food are linked with shigella spp.?

inside the intestines of cattle

Where can E.coli be found?

ground beef and contaminated produce

What 2 foods are linked with E.coli?

need a living host

What is the location of viruses?

fecal-oral route

What is the most common way viruses get into food?

not always (ex. Hep A)

Can viruses get cook off by normal cooking temperatures?

norovirus and Hepatitis A

What are the 2 viruses that are most likely to cause a foodborne illness?

jaundice

What symptom of illness is associated with Hepatitis A?

at least 7 days

How long must an employee with jaundice be excluded from the operation?

ready-to-eat foods and shellfish from contaminated water

What 2 types of food are viruses linked with?

require a live host to live and reproduce in

What is the location of parasites?

seafood, wild game, and foods processed with contaminated water (produce)

What are the 3 sources of parasites?

1. purchase food from approved, reputable supplier

2. cook food to required internal temperature

3. ensure fish that is being served raw/undercooked has been correctly frozen by manufacturer

What are the 3 ways to prevent parasite foodborne illness?

yeasts, molds, and mushrooms

What 3 things are considered fungi?

throw out all moldy foods unless mold is natural part of food and purchase mushrooms from approved, reputable supplier

What 2 ways do you prevent fungi foodborne illness?

certain plants, mushrooms, and seafood

What 3 foods are biological toxins associated with?

made by pathogens found on fish when fish is time-temperature abused

How can histamine infect fish?

tuna, bonito, mackerel, and mahimahi

What 4 fish can be infected with histamine?

a biological toxin that can contaminate fish that eat smaller contaminated fish

What is ciguatera toxin?

barracuda, snapper, grouper, and amberjack

What 4 fish can be infected with ciguatera toxin?

biological toxins

What type of biological contamination can cause neurological symptoms and allergic reactions (hives, difficulty breathing, burning in mouth/on tongue)?

no

Can biological toxins be destroyed by cooking or freezing?

purchase plants, mushrooms, and seafood from reputable, approved suppliers and control time and temperature when handling raw fish

What are the 2 ways to prevent biological toxin foodborne illness?

pewter, copper, zinc, and painted pottery

What 4 types of cookware can cause chemical contamination?

acidic foods (tomato sauce)

What type of food is most likely to be chemically contaminated by pewter, copper, zinc, and painted pottery cookware?

vomiting and diarrhea

What are the 2 most common symptoms of foodborne illness caused by chemical contaminants?

call the emergency number in your area and call the poison control center

What 2 steps should be taken if an illness caused by a chemical contaminant is suspected?

1. store chemicals away from prep areas, food storage areas, and service areas

2. chemicals must be separated from food and food-contact surfaces via spacing/partitions

3. chemicals must never be stored above food and food-contact surfaces

4. chemicals must have readable manufacturer's labels on original chemical containers

How do you properly store chemicals to prevent chemical contamination (4)?

make a food defense plan

What is the best way to protect food from being tampered with?

ALERT

What is the acronym the FDA created to help businesses create a food defense plan?

assure

What does the A in ALERT stand for?

make sure that products are received from safe sources

What is involved in the assure step of a food defense program?

assure

What step of the food defense program encourages supervising product deliveries, using approved suppliers that practice food defense, and making requests that delivery vehicles are locked/sealed?

look

What does the L in ALERT stand for?

monitor the security of products in the facility

What is involved in the look step of a food defense program?

look

What step of the food defense program encourages limiting access to prep and storage areas, creating a system for handling damaged products, storing chemicals in a secure location, and training staff to spot food defense threats

employees

What does the E in ALERT stand for?

know who is in your facility

What is involved in the employee step of a food defense program?

employee

What step in the food defense program encourages limiting access to prep and storage areas, identifying all visitors and verifying their credentials, and conducting background checks on staff?

reports

What does the R in ALERT stand for?

keep information related to food defense accessible

What is involved in the reports step of a food defense program?

reports

What step of the food defense program encourages employers to maintain records/save receiving logs and staff files, and conduct random food-defense self-inspections?

threat

What does the T in ALERT stand for?

identify what you will do and who you will contact if there is suspicious activity or a threat to the operation

What is involved in the threat step of a food defense program?

threat

What step of a food defense program encourages holding products that are suspected to be contaminated, contacting regulatory authority immediately if a threat occurs, and maintaining an emergency contact list?

general contact information, food(s) that were eaten at establishment, description of symptoms, and timeline of when symptoms first started

What 4 things should you ask when gathering information to respond to a foodborne illness outbreak?

contact the local regulatory authority

After you gather information, what should you do next when responding to a foodborne illness outbreak?

segregate the suspected product

After you have contacted the authorities, what should you do next when responding to a foodborne illness outbreak?

label it with do not use and do not discard/throw away

How should you label a segregated product that is suspected to have caused a foodborne illness outbreak (2)?

document information about the suspected product

After segregating suspected contaminated product, what should you do next when responding to a foodborne illness outbreak?

product description, production date, lot number, sell-by date, and pack size

What 5 things should be included when documenting information about a suspected contaminated product when responding to a foodborne illness outbreak?

identify staff who were scheduled at the time of the suspected contamination

After documenting information about a suspected contaminated product, what should you do next when responding to a foodborne illness outbreak?