Food Safety, Hygiene and Sanitation
Food Safety, Hygiene and Sanitation
This domain tests contamination routes, personal and kitchen hygiene, temperature control, cleaning and HACCP. Expect practical questions on danger-zone times, cross-contamination and safe cooling.
Core rules and concepts
- Hazards are biological (bacteria, viruses, parasites), chemical (cleaners, pesticides, allergens) and physical (glass, metal, hair).
- The danger zone is roughly 5–60°C; bacteria multiply fastest in warm conditions. Keep cold foods below 5°C and hot foods above 60°C.
- HACCP has seven principles: hazard analysis, CCP identification, critical limits, monitoring, corrective action, verification and record keeping.
- Clean before sanitising; organic matter reduces sanitiser effectiveness. Use colour-coded boards and separate raw and cooked areas.
- Personal hygiene includes handwashing, clean uniform, covered hair, no jewellery and exclusion of staff with vomiting or diarrhoea.
- FIFO means first in, first out; store raw foods below cooked foods.
Worked example
A large pot of rice is cooked at 11 a.m. and left on the counter until 3 p.m. Reasoning: it spends four hours in the danger zone, allowing Bacillus cereus spores to germinate and multiply. Safe practice is to divide the rice into shallow trays, cool rapidly to below 5°C within a short period, and reheat thoroughly to above 75°C before service.
Traps
Freezing does not kill most bacteria; it only stops or slows growth. Sanitising does not work on visibly dirty surfaces. A cutting board used for raw chicken must not then be used for salad without cleaning and sanitising. Reheating once does not make unsafe food safe if toxins are already present.