AMSA: Food Safety Manager
Certification Exam Study Guide
(ANSI/CFP) Questions with Accurate
Answers.
Foodborne Illness - Answer A disease carried or transmitted to people by food.
Foodborne Illness Outbreak - Answer When two or more people experience the same illness
after eating the same food.
High Risk Populations - Answer Infants, preschool age children, the elderly, and
immunocompromised people.
Why do some foods require temperature control for safety? - Answer Although any type of
food can become contaminated, some are better able to support the rapid growth of
microorganisms than others.
Temperature Danger Zone - Answer 41F-135F
Why must TSC Foods be kept out of the danger zone? - Answer To prevent the growth of
microorganisms and the production of toxins.
What are the three types of contaminants? - Answer Biological, Chemical, Physical
Biological Contaminants - Answer Bacteria, Viruses, Parasites, Fungi, Natural Toxins
Chemical Contaminants - Answer Cleaners, Sanitizers, Toxic Metal from Non-Food Service
Grade Utensils and Cookware, Pesticides
Physical Contaminants - Answer Foreign Objects - Hair, Glass, Paper, Metal Shavings.
What are the top 5 documented reasons for outbreaks? - Answer 1. Purchasing food from
unsafe sources
2. Failing to cook food adequately
3. Holding Food at incorrect temperatures
4. Contaminated equipment
5. Poor personal hygiene
,What are four ways food becomes contaminated? - Answer 1. Time-Temperature Control
( TCS foods are left in the danger zone for more than 4 hours.)
2. Cross Contamination (Contaminants cross to a food that is not going to be cooked any
further.)
3. Poor Personal Hygiene (Food handlers cause the foodborne illness.)
4. Poor Cleaning and Sanitizing.
Ready-to-Eat Foods - Answer Foods that can be consumed without further preparation,
washing, and cooking.
Examples of Ready-to-Eat foods - Answer Cooked food, washed fruit and vegetables, Deli
Meat, Bakery Items, Sugar, Spices, and Seasonings.
What measures should be focused on when training to keeping food safe? - Answer
Controlling time and temperature, preventing cross-contamination, practicing good personal
hygiene, purchasing from approved reputable suppliers, cleaning and sanitizers.
What are some ways to train and monitor employees on keeping food safe? - Answer Train
staff to follow food safety procedures. Provide initial and ongoing training. Provide all staff with
general food safety knowledge. Provide job specific food safety training. Retrain staff regularly.
Monitor staff to make sure they are following procedure. Document training.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - Answer A federal agency that inspects all food except
meat, poultry, and eggs. It also regulates food transported across state lines.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Answer A federal agency that regulates and inspects
meat, poultry, and eggs. It also regulates food that crosses state boundaries or involves more
than one state.
What do agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S Public
health service do? - Answer Conduct research into the causes of foodborne-illness
outbreaks.
What do state and local regulatory authorities do? - Answer Write or adopt code that
regulates retail and food service operations.
Foodborne Infections - Answer Result when a person eats a food containing pathogens
which grow in the intestines and cause illness.
, Common Symptoms of Foodborne Illness - Answer Diarrhea, Vomiting, Fever, Nausea,
Abdominal Cramps, Jaundice
Onset times for foodborne illnesses - Answer Depends on the type of illness, can range from
30 minutes to 6 weeks or longer.
Foodborne Intoxication - Answer Result when a person eats food containing toxins (Poison)
produced by pathogens found in the food or which are results of chemical contamination.
Bacteria - Answer Are of the greatest concern of the biological contaminates. Bacteria are
found everywhere and under favorable conditions they can reproduce very rapidly if FATTOM
conditions are right.
FATTOM - Answer Food, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen, Moisture.
Food in FATTOM - Answer Most bacteria need nutrients to survive. TCS food supports the
growth of bacteria better than other types of food.
Acidity in FATTOM - Answer Bacteria grow best in food that contains little or no acid on a pH
Scale that ranges from 0 to 14.0 acid to alkaline. Bacteria grow right in the middle more rapidly
from 4.6-7.5
Temperature in FATTOM - Answer Bacteria grow rapidly between 41F and 135F this range is
known as the temperature danger zone. Bacteria growth is limited when food is held above or
below the temperature danger zone.
Time in FATTOM - Answer Bacteria need time to grow. the more time bacteria spends in the
temperature danger zone the greater chance they have to grow to unsafe levels. Bacteria
doubles every 15 to 20 minutes in the TDZ.
Oxygen in FATTOM - Answer Some bacteria need oxygen to grow, while others grow when
oxygen isn't there. (ROP)
Moisture in FATTOM - Answer The amount of moisture available in food is called water
activity (AW), the AW scale ranges from 0.0 to 1.0 the higher the value, the more available
moisture in the food.
What are the easiest things to control in FATTOM? - Answer Time and Temperature are the
easiest things for us to control.
Certification Exam Study Guide
(ANSI/CFP) Questions with Accurate
Answers.
Foodborne Illness - Answer A disease carried or transmitted to people by food.
Foodborne Illness Outbreak - Answer When two or more people experience the same illness
after eating the same food.
High Risk Populations - Answer Infants, preschool age children, the elderly, and
immunocompromised people.
Why do some foods require temperature control for safety? - Answer Although any type of
food can become contaminated, some are better able to support the rapid growth of
microorganisms than others.
Temperature Danger Zone - Answer 41F-135F
Why must TSC Foods be kept out of the danger zone? - Answer To prevent the growth of
microorganisms and the production of toxins.
What are the three types of contaminants? - Answer Biological, Chemical, Physical
Biological Contaminants - Answer Bacteria, Viruses, Parasites, Fungi, Natural Toxins
Chemical Contaminants - Answer Cleaners, Sanitizers, Toxic Metal from Non-Food Service
Grade Utensils and Cookware, Pesticides
Physical Contaminants - Answer Foreign Objects - Hair, Glass, Paper, Metal Shavings.
What are the top 5 documented reasons for outbreaks? - Answer 1. Purchasing food from
unsafe sources
2. Failing to cook food adequately
3. Holding Food at incorrect temperatures
4. Contaminated equipment
5. Poor personal hygiene
,What are four ways food becomes contaminated? - Answer 1. Time-Temperature Control
( TCS foods are left in the danger zone for more than 4 hours.)
2. Cross Contamination (Contaminants cross to a food that is not going to be cooked any
further.)
3. Poor Personal Hygiene (Food handlers cause the foodborne illness.)
4. Poor Cleaning and Sanitizing.
Ready-to-Eat Foods - Answer Foods that can be consumed without further preparation,
washing, and cooking.
Examples of Ready-to-Eat foods - Answer Cooked food, washed fruit and vegetables, Deli
Meat, Bakery Items, Sugar, Spices, and Seasonings.
What measures should be focused on when training to keeping food safe? - Answer
Controlling time and temperature, preventing cross-contamination, practicing good personal
hygiene, purchasing from approved reputable suppliers, cleaning and sanitizers.
What are some ways to train and monitor employees on keeping food safe? - Answer Train
staff to follow food safety procedures. Provide initial and ongoing training. Provide all staff with
general food safety knowledge. Provide job specific food safety training. Retrain staff regularly.
Monitor staff to make sure they are following procedure. Document training.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - Answer A federal agency that inspects all food except
meat, poultry, and eggs. It also regulates food transported across state lines.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Answer A federal agency that regulates and inspects
meat, poultry, and eggs. It also regulates food that crosses state boundaries or involves more
than one state.
What do agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S Public
health service do? - Answer Conduct research into the causes of foodborne-illness
outbreaks.
What do state and local regulatory authorities do? - Answer Write or adopt code that
regulates retail and food service operations.
Foodborne Infections - Answer Result when a person eats a food containing pathogens
which grow in the intestines and cause illness.
, Common Symptoms of Foodborne Illness - Answer Diarrhea, Vomiting, Fever, Nausea,
Abdominal Cramps, Jaundice
Onset times for foodborne illnesses - Answer Depends on the type of illness, can range from
30 minutes to 6 weeks or longer.
Foodborne Intoxication - Answer Result when a person eats food containing toxins (Poison)
produced by pathogens found in the food or which are results of chemical contamination.
Bacteria - Answer Are of the greatest concern of the biological contaminates. Bacteria are
found everywhere and under favorable conditions they can reproduce very rapidly if FATTOM
conditions are right.
FATTOM - Answer Food, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen, Moisture.
Food in FATTOM - Answer Most bacteria need nutrients to survive. TCS food supports the
growth of bacteria better than other types of food.
Acidity in FATTOM - Answer Bacteria grow best in food that contains little or no acid on a pH
Scale that ranges from 0 to 14.0 acid to alkaline. Bacteria grow right in the middle more rapidly
from 4.6-7.5
Temperature in FATTOM - Answer Bacteria grow rapidly between 41F and 135F this range is
known as the temperature danger zone. Bacteria growth is limited when food is held above or
below the temperature danger zone.
Time in FATTOM - Answer Bacteria need time to grow. the more time bacteria spends in the
temperature danger zone the greater chance they have to grow to unsafe levels. Bacteria
doubles every 15 to 20 minutes in the TDZ.
Oxygen in FATTOM - Answer Some bacteria need oxygen to grow, while others grow when
oxygen isn't there. (ROP)
Moisture in FATTOM - Answer The amount of moisture available in food is called water
activity (AW), the AW scale ranges from 0.0 to 1.0 the higher the value, the more available
moisture in the food.
What are the easiest things to control in FATTOM? - Answer Time and Temperature are the
easiest things for us to control.
