ServSafe Manager Exam Questions and Answers Updated (2024 / 2025) (Verified Answers)

ServSafe Manager Exam Questions and Answers Updated (2024 / 2025) (Verified Answers) Costs of a Foodborne Illness to an Operation Loss of customers, sales and reputation, negative media exposure, lowered staff morale, lawsuits and legal fees, staff missing work, increased insurance premiums, staff retraining Contaminants Biological (pathogens like viruses, fungi) Chemical (chemicals to clean contaminate food) Physical (metal shaving, bandages, staples, fish bones) How food becomes Unsafe? Purchasing food from unsafe sources, failing to cook food correctly, holding food at incorrect temp, using contaminated equipment, practicing poor personal hygiene Foods most likely to become unsafe (TCS food- food requiring time and temp control for safety) milk and dairy, eggs (expect those treated), meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, baked potatoes, heat-treated plant food like cooked rice, beans, vegetables, tofu or soy protein, sprouts, sliced melons, cut tomatoes or leafy green and untreated garlic and oil mixtures Who is at high risk food borne illnesses? Elderly, preschool-age children, people with compromised immune system (HIV/AIDS, cancer, certain meds) Keeping food Safe Controlling time and temp, preventing cross-contamination, practicing personal hygiene, purchasing from approved, reputable suppliers, cleaning and sanitizing The role of the FDA Inspects all food except meat, poultry, and eggs. Regulates food transported across state lines. Regulate foodservice for: restaurants and retail food stores, vending operations, school and day care centers, hospitals and nursing homes Other Agencies USDA- dep. of agriculture; inspects meat, poultry, eggs CDC and PHS- assist FDA, USDA, and local health dep., conduct research and assist in investigating Where do contamination come from? Many are found in animals; other comes from air, contaminated water and dirt; some occur naturally in food like bones in fish How contamination passed along? From person to person, through sneezing or vomiting onto food or food-contact surfaces, from touching dirty food-contact surfaces and equipment and then touching food Biological contamination Many microorganisms are harmless, but some can cause illness; harmful microorganisms are called pathogens. FDA says there are over 40 different kinds of bacteria, virus, parasites, and mold. Out of these the Big Six include: Shigella spp., Salmonella, Nontyphoidal salmonella (NTS), Shiga toxin producing E. coil, Hep A, Norovirus Signs of food borne illness Diarrhea, vomiting, fever, nausea, abdominal cramps, jaundice Bacteria Can cause food borne illness; Location: found almost anywhere, Growth: If FAT TOM conditions are correct it will grow rapidly, Prevention: control time and temp What Bacteria needs to grow? 1. Food: need nutrients to survive, TCS food support growth better than other types of food 2. Acidity: grow best in food with little/no acid (7-14 on pH) 3.Temp: grow rapidly btw 41-135 F (this is danger zone); grow more rapidly btw 70 to 125 F 4. Time: need time to grow; more time in danger zone more opportunity they have to grow 5. Oxygen: some bacteria need O to grow; others don't 6. Moisture: grow more in high levels of moisture; amount of moisture is called water activity (scale ranges 0.0 to 10.00) Major Bacteria that Cause Food borne Illness Four in particular that are highly contagious: Salmonella Typhi, Nontyphoidal salmonella (NTS), Shigella spp. and Shiga toxin producing E. coli Salmonella Typhi Bacteria; Carried in bloodstream and intestinal tract of humans; comes from ready to eat foods and beverages; Prevent: wash hands, cook find to minimum internal temp, don't allow servers/chef to work with this illness Nontyphoidal Salmonella Bacteria; many farm animals carry this naturally; comes from poultry, eggs, meat, milk, dairy, produce like tomatoes, peppers and cantaloupes; Prevent: cook to min. internal temp., prevent cross-contamination, don't allow servers/chefs who are vomiting or diarrhea Shigella spp. Bacteria; found in feces; flies can spread this; comes from food that is easily contaminated like TCS food, and food that has made contact with contaminated water like produce Prevent: wash hands, control flies, don't allow servers/chefs who have diarrhea E. coli Bacteria; found in the intestines of cattle; produce toxins in a person's intestines;comes from ground beef (raw and undercooked), contaminated produce; Prevent: cook completely, get from approved suppliers, prevent cross-contamination Viruses Location: carried by humans and animals cause they required living host and don't grow in food but can be transferred through food; Sources: from food, water or any contaminated surface; Destruction: not destroyed by normal cooking temp Major viruses: Hep A and Norovirus Hepatitis A Mainly found feces of people infected. Can contaminate water and types of food; found in ready to eat food and shellfish from contaminated water Prevent: exclude staff who have hep A or jaundice, wash hands, avoid bare hand contact with ready to eat food, purchase shellfish from reliable source Norovirus Virus; Exactly like hep A; found in ready to eat food and shellfish from contaminated water Parasites Location: require a host to live and reproduce; Sources: commonly associated with seafood, wild game, and food processed with contaminated water like produce; Prevention: purchase food from approved, reputable suppliers, cooking food to right temp Fungi Include yeasts, molds and mushrooms; throw out molly food unless mold is natural part of food Biological Toxins Most foodborne illnesses are caused by pathogens, a form of biological contamination; Origin: some toxins are natural like with certain plants, mushrooms, seafood. Symptoms: many types can occur from eating seafood toxins, will experience symptoms within minutes of eating, Prevention: cannot be destroyed by cooking or freezing, so purchase from reliable supplier; control time and temp. Chemical Contaminants Sources: can contaminate food if used or store wrong way. Symptoms: can vary depending on which chemical, most occur within minutes, vomiting and diarrhea are common. Prevention: purchase chemicals from approved suppliers, store chemicals away from food, use as intended, make sure label is readable, follow directions for throwing them away Physical Contaminants Food became contaminant when objects gets into it What are the most common symptoms of food borne illnesses? Diarrhea, fever, vomiting, nausea, jaundice