NATIONAL FOOD MANAGER CERTIFICATION
EXAM 2025 – FULL COURSE PREP WITH 100% VERIFIED
ANSWERS | HACCP, FOODBORNE ILLNESS,
CONTAMINATION PREVENTION & SAFE FOOD HANDLING
Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
• Inspects all food except meat, poultry, and eggs
• Regulates food transported across state lines
• Issues the Food Code
The FDA Food Code:
•Provides recommendations for food safety regulations
• Is recommendation, not law
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA):
•Regulates and inspects meat, poultry, and eggs
• Regulates food transported across state lines
• Regulates food involving more than one state
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Provides guidance and education around diseases
State and Local Regulatory Authorities:
•Write or adopt codes regulating retail and foodservice operations
• Codes may differ from FDA Food Code
• Inspect operations to ensure compliance with FDA Food Code and local requirements
FOODBORNE ILLNESS
A foodborne illness is a disease transmitted to people through food
Foodborne Outbreak
Considered an outbreak when:
•Two or more people have the same symptoms after eating the same food
,• An investigation is conducted by state and local regulatory authorities
• The outbreak is confirmed by laboratory analysis
Costs of foodborne illness:
•Loss of customers and sales
• Loss of reputation
• Negative work exposure
• Lower staff morale
• Lawsuits and legal fees
• Staff missing work
• Increased insurance premiums
• Staff retraining
Top 5 Risk factors for Foodborne Illness
1. Purchasing food from unsafe sources.
2. Failing to cook food correctly.
3. Holding food at incorrect temperatures.
4. Using contaminated equipment.
5. Practicing poor personal hygiene.
How does food become unsafe?
1. Time-Temperature Abuse
2. Cross Contamination
3. Poor Personal Hygiene
4. Poor cleaning and sanitizing
TCS (Time Control for Safety) Foods
They consist of: Dairy products, eggs, meats, poultry, fish, shellfish, cooked potatoes, cooked
rice, soy and soy products, bean sprouts, cut tomatoes and melons & garlic and oil mixture
Ready-to-eat Food
Food that can be eaten without further preparation, washing or cooking.
,Ex: Cooked food, Washed fruit and vegetables, Deli meat, Bakery items and Sugar, spices, and
seasonings
High-Risk Populations for Foodborne Illnesses
Elderly people, preschool-age children, and people with compromised immune systems
FOOD DEFENSE
The act of preventing an intentional contamination of food.
Intentional Contamination of Food can come from:
•competitors
• vendors
• employees
• customers
• terrorists
Categories of Motive for Intentional Food Contamination
1. Disease, mass casualties, and death
2. Impact on public health services
3. Social and political implications
Economic and trade impact
ALERT Method for Food Defense
Assure. Assure that products are purchased from safe sources.
Look. Look at areas where food is exposed and could be vulnerable. Here you can look at
surveillance cameras.
Employees. Employees and vendors must be monitored when around food.
Reports. Reports and logs related to food defense must be maintained.
Threat. Threats must be taken seriously, and a plan must be in place if food is threatened.
PERSON-IN-CHARGE
An individual present at the food establishment who is responsible for the operation.
Ex: A manager, supervisor, or employee with a food safety certification.
, Demonstrates: knowledge of foodborne illness prevention, the application of Hazard Analysis
and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles, and the requirements of the regulatory authority
PIC (Person-In-Charge) must ensure:
•The food establishment is approved to serve and sell food.
• Unnecessary people are not allowed in food preparation, storage, or cleaning areas.
• Employees comply with regulatory requirements.
• Employees wash their hands correctly.
• Products are inspected properly upon receiving.
• Employees cook and cool foods properly.
• Employees clean and sanitize equipment safely.
• Employees prevent bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods by using suitable utensils.
• Employees are trained on food safety, food allergy awareness, food defense, and HACCP.
• Food employees and conditional employees are aware of their responsibility to report health
illnesses.
• Consumers are informed of the risk when ordering raw or undercooked foods.
• Consumers use clean tableware when returning to self-service areas.
Training & Monitoring (PIC)
•As a manager, your job is more than just understanding food safety practices and creating the
necessary procedures. You also must train your staff to follow these procedures.
• Staff should be trained when they are first hired and on an ongoing basis. Your entire staff
needs general food safety knowledge. Other knowledge will be specific to the tasks performed
on the job. For example, everyone needs to know the correct way to wash their hands. However,
only receiving staff need to know how to inspect produce during receiving.
• Staff need to be retrained in food safety regularly.
• When a food handler completes food safety training, document it.
• Once staff are trained, monitor them to make sure they are following procedures.
• At times, you may notice employees doing tasks incorrectly. Each incorrect task could lead to
an increase in risk. When this happens, it is important to correct the situation immediately. This
is called corrective action. If an employee often completes a task incorrectly or if multiple
employees complete a task incorrectly, they should be retrained.
EXAM 2025 – FULL COURSE PREP WITH 100% VERIFIED
ANSWERS | HACCP, FOODBORNE ILLNESS,
CONTAMINATION PREVENTION & SAFE FOOD HANDLING
Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
• Inspects all food except meat, poultry, and eggs
• Regulates food transported across state lines
• Issues the Food Code
The FDA Food Code:
•Provides recommendations for food safety regulations
• Is recommendation, not law
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA):
•Regulates and inspects meat, poultry, and eggs
• Regulates food transported across state lines
• Regulates food involving more than one state
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Provides guidance and education around diseases
State and Local Regulatory Authorities:
•Write or adopt codes regulating retail and foodservice operations
• Codes may differ from FDA Food Code
• Inspect operations to ensure compliance with FDA Food Code and local requirements
FOODBORNE ILLNESS
A foodborne illness is a disease transmitted to people through food
Foodborne Outbreak
Considered an outbreak when:
•Two or more people have the same symptoms after eating the same food
,• An investigation is conducted by state and local regulatory authorities
• The outbreak is confirmed by laboratory analysis
Costs of foodborne illness:
•Loss of customers and sales
• Loss of reputation
• Negative work exposure
• Lower staff morale
• Lawsuits and legal fees
• Staff missing work
• Increased insurance premiums
• Staff retraining
Top 5 Risk factors for Foodborne Illness
1. Purchasing food from unsafe sources.
2. Failing to cook food correctly.
3. Holding food at incorrect temperatures.
4. Using contaminated equipment.
5. Practicing poor personal hygiene.
How does food become unsafe?
1. Time-Temperature Abuse
2. Cross Contamination
3. Poor Personal Hygiene
4. Poor cleaning and sanitizing
TCS (Time Control for Safety) Foods
They consist of: Dairy products, eggs, meats, poultry, fish, shellfish, cooked potatoes, cooked
rice, soy and soy products, bean sprouts, cut tomatoes and melons & garlic and oil mixture
Ready-to-eat Food
Food that can be eaten without further preparation, washing or cooking.
,Ex: Cooked food, Washed fruit and vegetables, Deli meat, Bakery items and Sugar, spices, and
seasonings
High-Risk Populations for Foodborne Illnesses
Elderly people, preschool-age children, and people with compromised immune systems
FOOD DEFENSE
The act of preventing an intentional contamination of food.
Intentional Contamination of Food can come from:
•competitors
• vendors
• employees
• customers
• terrorists
Categories of Motive for Intentional Food Contamination
1. Disease, mass casualties, and death
2. Impact on public health services
3. Social and political implications
Economic and trade impact
ALERT Method for Food Defense
Assure. Assure that products are purchased from safe sources.
Look. Look at areas where food is exposed and could be vulnerable. Here you can look at
surveillance cameras.
Employees. Employees and vendors must be monitored when around food.
Reports. Reports and logs related to food defense must be maintained.
Threat. Threats must be taken seriously, and a plan must be in place if food is threatened.
PERSON-IN-CHARGE
An individual present at the food establishment who is responsible for the operation.
Ex: A manager, supervisor, or employee with a food safety certification.
, Demonstrates: knowledge of foodborne illness prevention, the application of Hazard Analysis
and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles, and the requirements of the regulatory authority
PIC (Person-In-Charge) must ensure:
•The food establishment is approved to serve and sell food.
• Unnecessary people are not allowed in food preparation, storage, or cleaning areas.
• Employees comply with regulatory requirements.
• Employees wash their hands correctly.
• Products are inspected properly upon receiving.
• Employees cook and cool foods properly.
• Employees clean and sanitize equipment safely.
• Employees prevent bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods by using suitable utensils.
• Employees are trained on food safety, food allergy awareness, food defense, and HACCP.
• Food employees and conditional employees are aware of their responsibility to report health
illnesses.
• Consumers are informed of the risk when ordering raw or undercooked foods.
• Consumers use clean tableware when returning to self-service areas.
Training & Monitoring (PIC)
•As a manager, your job is more than just understanding food safety practices and creating the
necessary procedures. You also must train your staff to follow these procedures.
• Staff should be trained when they are first hired and on an ongoing basis. Your entire staff
needs general food safety knowledge. Other knowledge will be specific to the tasks performed
on the job. For example, everyone needs to know the correct way to wash their hands. However,
only receiving staff need to know how to inspect produce during receiving.
• Staff need to be retrained in food safety regularly.
• When a food handler completes food safety training, document it.
• Once staff are trained, monitor them to make sure they are following procedures.
• At times, you may notice employees doing tasks incorrectly. Each incorrect task could lead to
an increase in risk. When this happens, it is important to correct the situation immediately. This
is called corrective action. If an employee often completes a task incorrectly or if multiple
employees complete a task incorrectly, they should be retrained.
