FOOD SAFETY MANAGER TRAINING
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
VERIFIED 2026.
What are the general guidelines for holding food for service? - ANS 1. Use food covers and
sneeze guards to protect against contaminants and help maintain a food's internal temperature
2. Hold food at correct internal temperature 3. Use a thermometer to check a food's internal
temperature. The equipment's thermometer does not measure internal temperature 4. Check
food temperatures at least every four hours. If food is between 41dF and 135dF, throw it out.
What are the guidelines for holding cold food? - ANS Hold cold food at 41dF or lower
What are the guidelines for holding hot food? - ANS Hold hot food at 135dF or higher, Never
use hot-holding equipment to reheat food unless it was built to do so. Most equipment reheats
too slow to get through the temperature danger zone. Reheat food correctly and then move to
the holding unit.
When can food be held without temperature control? - ANS Food can be held without
temperature control if you are NOT serving a high-risk population. Food can be held without
temperature control if displaying food for a short time (off-site catered event) or when
electricity is not available to power holding equipment.
What are the conditions for holding cold food without temperature control? - ANS Cold food
can be held without temperature control for up to 6 hours if 1) Food is held at 41dF or lower
before removing it from refrigeration 2) Label the food with the time removed from fridge and
the time that it expires (ex. Removed: 4:30, Discard 10:30) 3) Make sure the food's temp does
not exceed 70dF while being served. Discard any that exceeds temp 4) Sell, serve, or throw out
the food within 6 hours
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,What are the conditions for holding hot food without temperature control? - ANS Hot food
can be held for up to 4 hours if these conditions are met: 1) Hold food at 135dF or above before
removing from temp control 2) Label food with time removed from temp control and discard
time 3) Sell, serve, or throw out the food within 4 hours.
Which food item is being handled safely? 1) Soup at 120dF 2) Pasta salad at 39dF 3) Potato salad
at 75dF 4) Soup placed in a hot holding unit at 40dF - ANS ANSWER: 2
Roy prepared pans of pasta with meat sauce and held them in a 200dF degree oven for two
hours. At 5:00pm, he packed them in an insulated container to take to a wedding reception at
the beach. There was no equipment to keep the food hot. At 8:00pm, three hours after Roy
removed the pasta from the over in his operation, the pasta was served to the guests. Is this
food safe to serve? - ANS Yes. The food was held above 135dF and then served within four
hours after being removed from temperature control.
At 6am, Alvin removed deli meat, sliced cheese, apples, and pudding cups from the cooler to
make box lunches for a high school class field trip. When he finished making the lunches, Alvin
left them on a table for the teacher. The lunches were left on the bus that warm spring day
while the students toured a museum. At 1pm, they returned to a very warm bus to get their
lunches, which they ate in a picnic area. Is the food safe to serve? - ANS No. The lunches
were left too long outside of temperature control. The temp of the food also probably rose
higher than 70dF as the bus warmed in the sun.
Sally is a cook at the Springfield Retirement Community. As a special treat, she set up a picnic
for some of the elderly residents. The picnic included a buffet of cold chicken, potato salad,
coleslaw, rolls, and cupcakes. There was no equipment to keep the food cold. The food was
served one hour after it was removed from the cooler. Is the food safe to serve? - ANS No.
Food cannot be held without temperature control if it is primarily for high-risk populations, such
as elderly people.
How can you prevent contamination when serving food? - ANS Contamination can be
prevented when serving food by 1) Avoiding bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods 2) Using
clean and sanitized utensils for each food items. If utensils are being used constantly, clean and
sanitize every 4 hours 3) Store serving utensils in the food with the handle extended above the
rim of the container or on a clean and sanitized food-contact surface 4) Taking caution when
using guest-provided take-home containers.
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, What precautions should you take when using guest-provided take-home containers? -
ANS Take-home containers can be used if they 1) Were designed to be reused 2) Provided to
the guest by the operation 3) Are cleaned and sanitized properly
How can you prevent contamination by service staff? - ANS Train them to follow these
guidelines: 1) Hold dishes by the bottom or edge 2) Hold glasses by the middle, bottom, or stem
3) Do NOT touch the food-contact areas of dishes or glassware 4) Carry glasses in a rack or a tray
to avoid touching the food-contact surfaces 5) Do NOT stack glasses when carrying them 6) Hold
flatware by the handle 7) Store flatware so that servers grasp handles, not food-contact surfaces
8) Avoid bare-hand contact with food that is ready-to-eat 9) Use ice scoops or tongs to get ice,
NEVER the cup or bare-hands.
How do you prevent preset tableware contamination? - ANS Steps to prevent tableware from
becoming contaminated include: 1) Wrapping or covering the items 2) Unused settings are
removed when guests are seated and cleaned and sanitized after the guests have left
How do I re-serve food from one guest to another? - ANS You can't really. 1) Never re-serve
food returned by one guest to another guest 2) Condiments must be in their original contianers
(i.e. individual packets or portions) 3) Bread or rolls cannot be re-served 4) Garnishes cannot be
reused 5) You may re-serve only unopened, prepackaged food in good condition like condiment
packets and wrapped crackers.
How can you prevent contamination in self-serve areas? - ANS Contamination in self-serve
areas can be prevented by 1) Protecting the food using sneeze cards, display cases, or packaging
2) Labels for handles and containers 3) Temperature control: hot food = 135dF or higher and
cold = 41dF or lower 4) Do not let guests refill dirty plates or use dirty utensils at self-service
areas 5) Stock food displays with the correct utensils for dispensing food 6) Never use ice for
food/beverages as an ingredient.
When should Bulk Food be labelled? - ANS Bulk food in self-service areas must be labeled
and in plain view of the guest and includes the processor label provided with the food. Bulk
Unpackaged food (bakery products and unpackaged food portioned for customers) does not
need to be labeled if: 1) The product makes no claim regarding health or nutrient content 2)
There are no laws requiring labeling 3) The food is manufactured or prepared at another food
operation or processing plant owned by the same person and is regulated 4) The food is
manufactured or prepared on the premises.
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
VERIFIED 2026.
What are the general guidelines for holding food for service? - ANS 1. Use food covers and
sneeze guards to protect against contaminants and help maintain a food's internal temperature
2. Hold food at correct internal temperature 3. Use a thermometer to check a food's internal
temperature. The equipment's thermometer does not measure internal temperature 4. Check
food temperatures at least every four hours. If food is between 41dF and 135dF, throw it out.
What are the guidelines for holding cold food? - ANS Hold cold food at 41dF or lower
What are the guidelines for holding hot food? - ANS Hold hot food at 135dF or higher, Never
use hot-holding equipment to reheat food unless it was built to do so. Most equipment reheats
too slow to get through the temperature danger zone. Reheat food correctly and then move to
the holding unit.
When can food be held without temperature control? - ANS Food can be held without
temperature control if you are NOT serving a high-risk population. Food can be held without
temperature control if displaying food for a short time (off-site catered event) or when
electricity is not available to power holding equipment.
What are the conditions for holding cold food without temperature control? - ANS Cold food
can be held without temperature control for up to 6 hours if 1) Food is held at 41dF or lower
before removing it from refrigeration 2) Label the food with the time removed from fridge and
the time that it expires (ex. Removed: 4:30, Discard 10:30) 3) Make sure the food's temp does
not exceed 70dF while being served. Discard any that exceeds temp 4) Sell, serve, or throw out
the food within 6 hours
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,What are the conditions for holding hot food without temperature control? - ANS Hot food
can be held for up to 4 hours if these conditions are met: 1) Hold food at 135dF or above before
removing from temp control 2) Label food with time removed from temp control and discard
time 3) Sell, serve, or throw out the food within 4 hours.
Which food item is being handled safely? 1) Soup at 120dF 2) Pasta salad at 39dF 3) Potato salad
at 75dF 4) Soup placed in a hot holding unit at 40dF - ANS ANSWER: 2
Roy prepared pans of pasta with meat sauce and held them in a 200dF degree oven for two
hours. At 5:00pm, he packed them in an insulated container to take to a wedding reception at
the beach. There was no equipment to keep the food hot. At 8:00pm, three hours after Roy
removed the pasta from the over in his operation, the pasta was served to the guests. Is this
food safe to serve? - ANS Yes. The food was held above 135dF and then served within four
hours after being removed from temperature control.
At 6am, Alvin removed deli meat, sliced cheese, apples, and pudding cups from the cooler to
make box lunches for a high school class field trip. When he finished making the lunches, Alvin
left them on a table for the teacher. The lunches were left on the bus that warm spring day
while the students toured a museum. At 1pm, they returned to a very warm bus to get their
lunches, which they ate in a picnic area. Is the food safe to serve? - ANS No. The lunches
were left too long outside of temperature control. The temp of the food also probably rose
higher than 70dF as the bus warmed in the sun.
Sally is a cook at the Springfield Retirement Community. As a special treat, she set up a picnic
for some of the elderly residents. The picnic included a buffet of cold chicken, potato salad,
coleslaw, rolls, and cupcakes. There was no equipment to keep the food cold. The food was
served one hour after it was removed from the cooler. Is the food safe to serve? - ANS No.
Food cannot be held without temperature control if it is primarily for high-risk populations, such
as elderly people.
How can you prevent contamination when serving food? - ANS Contamination can be
prevented when serving food by 1) Avoiding bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods 2) Using
clean and sanitized utensils for each food items. If utensils are being used constantly, clean and
sanitize every 4 hours 3) Store serving utensils in the food with the handle extended above the
rim of the container or on a clean and sanitized food-contact surface 4) Taking caution when
using guest-provided take-home containers.
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, What precautions should you take when using guest-provided take-home containers? -
ANS Take-home containers can be used if they 1) Were designed to be reused 2) Provided to
the guest by the operation 3) Are cleaned and sanitized properly
How can you prevent contamination by service staff? - ANS Train them to follow these
guidelines: 1) Hold dishes by the bottom or edge 2) Hold glasses by the middle, bottom, or stem
3) Do NOT touch the food-contact areas of dishes or glassware 4) Carry glasses in a rack or a tray
to avoid touching the food-contact surfaces 5) Do NOT stack glasses when carrying them 6) Hold
flatware by the handle 7) Store flatware so that servers grasp handles, not food-contact surfaces
8) Avoid bare-hand contact with food that is ready-to-eat 9) Use ice scoops or tongs to get ice,
NEVER the cup or bare-hands.
How do you prevent preset tableware contamination? - ANS Steps to prevent tableware from
becoming contaminated include: 1) Wrapping or covering the items 2) Unused settings are
removed when guests are seated and cleaned and sanitized after the guests have left
How do I re-serve food from one guest to another? - ANS You can't really. 1) Never re-serve
food returned by one guest to another guest 2) Condiments must be in their original contianers
(i.e. individual packets or portions) 3) Bread or rolls cannot be re-served 4) Garnishes cannot be
reused 5) You may re-serve only unopened, prepackaged food in good condition like condiment
packets and wrapped crackers.
How can you prevent contamination in self-serve areas? - ANS Contamination in self-serve
areas can be prevented by 1) Protecting the food using sneeze cards, display cases, or packaging
2) Labels for handles and containers 3) Temperature control: hot food = 135dF or higher and
cold = 41dF or lower 4) Do not let guests refill dirty plates or use dirty utensils at self-service
areas 5) Stock food displays with the correct utensils for dispensing food 6) Never use ice for
food/beverages as an ingredient.
When should Bulk Food be labelled? - ANS Bulk food in self-service areas must be labeled
and in plain view of the guest and includes the processor label provided with the food. Bulk
Unpackaged food (bakery products and unpackaged food portioned for customers) does not
need to be labeled if: 1) The product makes no claim regarding health or nutrient content 2)
There are no laws requiring labeling 3) The food is manufactured or prepared at another food
operation or processing plant owned by the same person and is regulated 4) The food is
manufactured or prepared on the premises.
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
