Ghana FDA Food Handler Test flashcards

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

Public Health Act, 2012

Ghana's Act 851; Parts 6, 7 and 8 deal with food, drugs and enforcement respectively. It prohibits the sale of unwholesome or misbranded food and gives inspectors powers of entry, seizure and prosecution.

Misbranded food

Food whose label is false or misleading, or which lacks required information such as ingredients, net quantity, manufacturer, date marking or country of origin. It is an offence even if the food is safe.

Adulterated food

Food containing an added harmful or inferior substance, a filthy or decomposed component, or an unapproved additive; or food prepared under insanitary conditions. Sale is prohibited under Act 851 Part 6.

Food and Drugs Authority mandate

The FDA is Ghana's competent authority for food safety. It registers food products and premises, licenses food businesses, inspects, samples, controls imports, issues alerts and recalls, and prosecutes offenders.

General safety requirement

Food placed on the market must not be injurious to health or unfit for human consumption. The food business operator bears the burden of demonstrating that the food is safe.

Farm-to-fork principle

Food safety controls apply at every stage: production, processing, storage, distribution, retail and catering. Regulation does not stop at the point of sale to the consumer.

Premises registration requirement

A food service establishment must be registered and licensed by the FDA for its specific address and declared activities before it may legally operate or handle food for sale.

Food handler's medical certificate

A certificate of fitness issued after screening for communicable diseases such as typhoid and hepatitis A. Food handlers must hold a valid certificate and be re-screened as required.

Licence renewal

FDA food licences are time-limited. Renewal before expiry normally depends on a satisfactory inspection, so unresolved hygiene findings can interrupt the right to operate.

Change of ownership notification

A licence covers a named operator at a named address. Changing owner, location or the scope of food activities requires notification to the FDA and re-registration; the old licence does not transfer automatically.

Inspector's power of entry

Authorised officers may enter food premises at reasonable times to inspect, sample, examine records and question staff. Obstructing or refusing entry is an offence under Act 851.

Suspension or revocation

The FDA may suspend or revoke a food licence for serious or repeated hygiene breaches, ignoring an improvement notice, or obstructing inspectors. Closure can follow immediately in high-risk cases.

Premises design requirements

Licensable premises need potable water, hand-wash basins with soap, washable surfaces, pest-proofing, adequate ventilation, and suitably located toilets that do not open directly into food rooms.

Temperature danger zone

The range 5 °C to 60 °C in which bacteria multiply fastest. Hot food is held above 60 °C and cold food below 5 °C to keep it outside this range.

Two-hour four-hour rule

Ready-to-eat food in the danger zone under two hours may be chilled or used; two to four hours means use immediately; beyond four hours it must be thrown away.

Correct reheating temperature

Reheated food must reach at least 74 °C throughout. Leftovers should be reheated only once, because repeated warming allows bacteria and toxins to accumulate.

Hand washing technique

Wet hands, apply soap, rub palms, backs, between fingers, thumbs and nails for at least 20 seconds, rinse under running water, then dry with a disposable towel.

When to wash hands

Before handling food and after toilet use, handling raw meat, touching the face or money, handling waste, coughing or sneezing, and returning to the kitchen from any other task.

Preventing cross-contamination

Use colour-coded boards and separate utensils for raw and ready-to-eat food, and store raw meat below cooked food in the refrigerator so drips cannot contaminate it.

Cleaning versus disinfection

Cleaning removes visible soil and grease with detergent. Disinfection then reduces microorganisms using an approved chemical at the correct dilution and contact time; the two are separate steps.

Rapid cooling method

Divide food into shallow containers, use an ice bath or blast chiller, and refrigerate promptly. Large pots left at room temperature pass too slowly through the danger zone.

Biological hazards

Bacteria, viruses, parasites and moulds, plus their toxins. Examples include Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli O157, Listeria, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium perfringens; they cause most foodborne illness.

Chemical hazards

Cleaning chemicals, pesticides, veterinary residues, heavy metals, mycotoxins such as aflatoxin, and allergens. They are controlled by segregation, correct storage, supplier checks and labelling.

Physical hazards

Hard foreign objects such as glass, metal, stones, bone, hair, insects or packaging. Controls include supplier checks, equipment maintenance, pest control and foreign-body detection.

Aflatoxin risk

A toxin from Aspergillus flavus, common in poorly dried or stored groundnuts and maize. Control by drying to safe moisture, sorting out mouldy kernels and storing in dry conditions.

High-risk foods

Foods that readily support bacterial growth: cooked rice, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs, cooked pulses and cut fruit. They need strict time and temperature control.

Staphylococcal food poisoning

Staphylococcus aureus lives on skin and in the nose and is transferred by hand contact. Its toxin is heat-stable, so reheating does not make the food safe.

Viral foodborne hazards

Hepatitis A and norovirus spread through infected food handlers and contaminated water. Freezing does not destroy them; exclusion of ill staff and safe water are the main controls.

Critical control point

A step where a measurable limit, such as cooking temperature or chilling time, prevents, eliminates or reduces a significant hazard. It is identified through hazard analysis.

Food complaint record

A record capturing complainant details, product name, batch code, purchase date and place, the defect, and any illness. It supports investigation and traceability.

Quarantine of suspect food

Suspect stock is segregated, labelled 'do not use' and held pending investigation. It must not be sold, returned to the supplier for resale, or destroyed before the authority is informed.

Class I recall

The most serious recall class, used when a product is likely to cause serious illness or death. It requires the fastest and widest notification to distributors, consumers and the FDA.