Dubai PIC Food Safety Exam flashcards

39 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Temperature danger zone

The range 5 C to 63 C in which bacteria multiply most rapidly. High-risk food should spend no more than 2 hours cumulatively in this range.

Two-hour / four-hour rule

High-risk food may be kept in the danger zone for up to 2 hours and still be used; up to 4 hours if documented; beyond 4 hours it must be discarded.

Cold holding temperature

High-risk ready-to-eat food must be held at 5 C or below to slow bacterial growth. Frozen storage must be at -18 C or below.

Cooking core temperature

Food should reach a core temperature of at least 75 C, and poultry at least 74 C, to kill most vegetative pathogens.

Cooling rule

Cooked food must be cooled from 63 C to 21 C within 2 hours, and from 21 C to 5 C within a further 4 hours.

Reheating rule

Reheated food must reach a core temperature of at least 75 C, and food should be reheated only once.

Thermometer calibration

Probe thermometers are checked in ice water (0 C) and boiling water (100 C), and cleaned and sanitised between uses.

High-risk food

Ready-to-eat, moist, protein-rich foods such as cooked meats, dairy, seafood, cooked rice and eggs that support rapid bacterial growth.

Spore-forming bacteria

Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus form heat-resistant spores that survive cooking; rapid cooling prevents their outgrowth.

Staphylococcus aureus toxin

A heat-stable toxin produced when food is left warm and handled. Reheating does not destroy the toxin once formed.

Listeria monocytogenes

A bacterium that can grow at refrigeration temperatures; controlled by keeping ready-to-eat food within shelf life and below 5 C.

Norovirus control

Norovirus spreads from people to food. Excluding ill food handlers and rigorous handwashing are the key controls.

Hazard categories

Food safety hazards are biological (bacteria, viruses, parasites), chemical (toxins, chemicals, allergens) or physical (glass, metal, foreign objects).

Handwash sequence

Wet hands, apply soap, lather and scrub for at least 20 seconds including between fingers and under nails, rinse, dry with a single-use towel.

Handwashing triggers

Wash hands before food handling and after toilet use, raw food handling, waste handling, cleaning, and touching face, hair or phone.

Ill food handler exclusion

A food handler with vomiting or diarrhoea must be excluded from food handling and reported, returning only after 48 symptom-free hours.

Wound dressing rule

Cuts and wounds on exposed skin must be covered with a waterproof, brightly coloured detectable dressing to prevent contamination.

Handwash basin rule

Handwash basins must be provided with soap and single-use towels and used only for handwashing, never for food or equipment.

Raw food storage order

Store raw food below ready-to-eat food, ordering by cooking temperature: cooked food highest, then fish, whole cuts, and ground meat/poultry lowest.

Colour-coded boards

Separate, colour-coded chopping boards and utensils reduce cross-contamination between raw meat, raw fish, cooked food and salads.

Cross-contamination

The transfer of harmful microorganisms from raw food, hands, equipment or surfaces to ready-to-eat food, which is not subsequently cooked.

Cleaning versus sanitizing

Cleaning removes visible soil with detergent; sanitizing reduces microorganisms to a safe level. Food-contact surfaces require both steps.

Sanitiser concentration

Food-contact sanitisers are used at the labelled concentration, commonly around 100-200 ppm chlorine, and checked with test strips.

Pest proofing

Doors, windows and vents are kept closed or screened; bait stations and air curtains are used, and pest-control visits are recorded.

Receiving checks

Deliveries are checked for approved supplier, date, intact packaging, correct temperature and absence of pests; failures are rejected and recorded.

FIFO stock rotation

First in, first out: older stock is used before newer stock, and all food is date-labelled to ensure rotation.

Safe thawing

Thaw food in a refrigerator at 5 C or below, under running potable water, or in a microwave if cooked immediately; never at room temperature.

Display temperature control

Hot display must be at 63 C or above and cold display at 5 C or below, with sneeze guards and separate serving utensils.

Linear workflow design

Premises are laid out so food moves from receiving to storage, preparation, cooking and service without crossing clean and dirty zones.

Food-contact surface standard

Surfaces must be smooth, impervious, non-absorbent, washable and easy to clean, and equipment must be food-grade and in good repair.

Waste storage

Waste is held in covered, leak-proof, pest-proof bins, removed frequently, and kept away from food handling areas.

HACCP seven principles

Hazard analysis, determine CCPs, set critical limits, monitor, corrective actions, verification, and record keeping.

Critical control point

A step where control is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce a significant hazard to an acceptable level.

Critical limit

A measurable value that separates acceptable from unacceptable, such as 75 C core cooking temperature or 5 C cold holding.

Corrective action

The action taken when monitoring shows a critical limit is breached, addressing both the affected food and the cause, and recorded.

Dubai food handler card

Food handlers in Dubai must hold a valid food handler health card and complete approved food safety training.

Dubai food safety regulator

Food safety in Dubai is regulated by Dubai Municipality's Food Safety Department, which issues requirements and conducts inspections.

Dubai trade licence requirement

A food business must hold a valid trade licence and food safety approval from the relevant authority before operating.

HACCP requirement in Dubai

Food businesses in Dubai must implement and document a food safety management system based on HACCP principles, available for inspection.