Ghana FDA Food Handler Test key terms

Ghana's principal public health statute, whose Parts 6, 7 and 8 deal with food safety, drugs and related substances; it establishes the legal duties of food handlers and the powers of regulators.

The Ghanaian regulator created under Act 851 that registers food products and premises, inspects establishments, and enforces food safety standards across the country.

Any person who directly touches food, food-contact surfaces or equipment during preparation, cooking, serving or cleaning, and who is therefore subject to medical screening and hygiene obligations.

A document confirming that a food handler has been medically screened and found free of communicable diseases that can be spread through food, usually valid for a stated period.

Any premises where food is prepared, sold or served to the public, such as a restaurant, chop bar, canteen, hotel kitchen, catering kitchen or school feeding kitchen, and which requires licensing.

The process by which a food premises is entered on the FDA's official register after inspection and payment of fees, allowing it to operate legally and be subject to routine monitoring.

An authorisation issued to a food business after satisfactory inspection of the premises, equipment and staff, certifying that the operation meets sanitary requirements for the stated period.

A structured on-site assessment by an authorised officer of the structure, water supply, sanitation, storage, pest control and staff practices of a food business to verify compliance.

The written record of findings from a premises inspection, listing observed deficiencies, the corrective actions required, and the deadline by which the operator must comply.

The specific step a food business takes to remove a deficiency identified during inspection or monitoring, such as repairing a leaking pipe or replacing a damaged cold store.

The set of practices and conditions applied at every stage of food handling to keep food safe, clean and free from contamination that could cause illness.

The cleanliness habits of a food handler, including bathing, clean clothing, short trimmed nails, tied-back hair, no jewellery and thorough hand washing at the right moments.

The correct scrubbing of hands with soap and clean running water for at least twenty seconds, done before handling food and after using the toilet, coughing or touching waste.

The transfer of harmful microorganisms or chemicals from raw food, dirty surfaces, equipment or hands onto ready-to-eat food, usually through poor separation or unclean utensils.

A system of using boards of different colours for raw meat, raw fish, vegetables and cooked or ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination between food types.

The temperature range of roughly 5 degrees Celsius to 60 degrees Celsius in which bacteria multiply most rapidly, so food should not be held there for long periods.

Keeping hot food above 60 degrees Celsius and cold food at or below 5 degrees Celsius, and checking with a probe thermometer to confirm safe holding temperatures.

The unbroken sequence of refrigerated storage and transport that keeps perishable food within safe cold temperatures from purchase through to service.

Food that is served without any further cooking or processing to make it safe, such as salad, fruit, bread, cooked rice and sliced meat, requiring the strictest handling precautions.

The maintenance of clean, hygienic conditions in a food business, covering waste disposal, toilet facilities, hand-washing stations, drainage and general cleanliness of the environment.

A two-stage process in which visible dirt and grease are removed with detergent and water, then surfaces are treated with a disinfectant to reduce microorganisms to a safe level.

Any surface that food touches directly, including tables, cutting boards, utensils, pots and equipment, which must be cleaned and disinfected frequently throughout the working day.

The systematic collection, storage and removal of food waste and refuse in covered, pest-proof containers, kept away from food areas and emptied before they overflow.

Measures taken to prevent and eliminate rodents, cockroaches, flies and other pests from food premises, including proofing openings, screening, proper storage and scheduled professional treatment.

Any biological, chemical or physical agent in food that has the potential to cause illness or injury to the consumer if it is not controlled.

A danger to food safety caused by living organisms or their toxins, including bacteria such as Salmonella, viruses such as hepatitis A, parasites and moulds.

A danger arising from substances such as cleaning agents, pesticides, unapproved additives or allergens that accidentally enter food and can cause harm when eaten.

A hard or sharp foreign object such as glass, metal, stones, hair, insects or plastic that gets into food and can injure or choke the person who eats it.

A naturally occurring protein in foods such as groundnuts, shellfish, eggs, milk, wheat and fish that triggers an allergic reaction in sensitive people and must be declared.

An illness caused by eating food contaminated with microorganisms, their toxins or chemicals, typically producing vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain or fever within hours to days.

A person who harbours Salmonella Typhi and can shed it in faeces or urine without showing symptoms, making them a serious risk if they handle food.

Any material not intended to be part of the food, such as stones, grit, hair, glass, insects or packaging fragments, which makes the product unsafe or unfit.

The routine checking of food products and processes against specifications, including sampling, temperature checks, shelf-life observation and records kept for verification.

The ability to follow a food product through all stages of production and distribution using batch codes and records, so it can be traced forward or backward when a problem arises.

The removal of a food product from sale and distribution because it is unsafe, mislabelled or otherwise non-compliant, carried out with notice to the regulator and the public.

A formal notification issued by the regulator or a business to warn the public, distributors or other establishments about a food hazard and the action being taken.

The information printed on a food package, including product name, ingredients, net quantity, manufacturer, batch code, date marking and allergen declarations, which must be accurate.

The documented process by which a consumer or establishment reports a suspected food safety problem to the FDA or the business, triggering investigation and follow-up action.