FoodSHAP Basic Food Safety flashcards

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

Temperature danger zone

The range between 5°C and 60°C (41°F and 140°F) in which bacteria multiply most rapidly; food should be kept out of this range to limit growth.

Two-stage cooling

Cool cooked food from 60°C to 21°C within 2 hours, then from 21°C to 5°C within a further 4 hours, giving a total maximum of 6 hours.

Two-hour/four-hour rule

Food in the danger zone under 2 hours may be refrigerated or served; 2–4 hours may be served but not chilled; over 4 hours must be discarded.

Critical control point

A step in the process where control is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level; it has measurable critical limits.

Critical limit

A measurable value that separates acceptable from unacceptable at a critical control point, such as a minimum cooking temperature or maximum holding time.

Prerequisite programmes

Foundation hygiene conditions and activities, such as cleaning, pest control, training, and supplier approval, that support and are needed before HACCP can work.

Hazard analysis

The HACCP principle of identifying biological, chemical, and physical hazards associated with each step and assessing their likelihood and severity.

Verification versus validation

Verification confirms the food safety system is working as planned; validation confirms the control measures are scientifically capable of controlling the identified hazard.

Cleaning versus sanitizing

Cleaning removes visible soil and grease; sanitizing reduces microorganisms to a safe level. Cleaning must precede sanitizing for the sanitizer to work effectively.

Chlorine sanitizer concentration

Typically 50–100 ppm for food contact surfaces, verified with test strips, with a contact time of at least 30 seconds and water temperature per the label.

Quaternary ammonium concentration

Typically 200–400 ppm for food contact surfaces, verified with test strips; effective on many surfaces but may be inactivated by organic matter and some detergents.

Cross-contamination

The transfer of harmful microorganisms or allergens from raw or contaminated food, hands, equipment, or surfaces to ready-to-eat food.

Handwashing duration

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

Hand antiseptic use

An alcohol-based hand rub used after handwashing as a supplement; it never replaces handwashing and is ineffective on visibly soiled or greasy hands.

Exclusion after vomiting or diarrhoea

A food handler with vomiting or diarrhoea must be excluded and should not return until at least 48 hours after symptoms resolve, and must report to the supervisor.

Infected wound control

Cover a wound on the hand with a waterproof, detectable dressing, then a glove; exclude the handler from food handling if the wound cannot be fully covered.

Biological hazards

Hazards from bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi that can cause illness; they are the most common cause of foodborne disease.

Spore-forming bacteria

Bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum and Bacillus cereus that form heat-resistant spores surviving normal cooking and can grow when food is cooled slowly.

Foodborne intoxication

Illness caused by a pre-formed toxin in food, such as Staphylococcus aureus toxin, which may not be destroyed by reheating the food.

Foodborne infection

Illness caused by consuming live pathogenic microorganisms that grow in the body, such as Salmonella or norovirus.

High-risk foods

Moist, protein-rich foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy, cooked rice, legumes, and cut melons that support rapid bacterial growth.

Water activity limit

Bacteria generally cannot multiply when water activity is below about 0.85; drying, salting, and adding sugar lower water activity to preserve food.

Safe thawing methods

Thaw food in a refrigerator at 5°C or below, under cold running water, in a microwave followed immediately by cooking, or as part of the cooking process.

Reheating requirement

Reheat food to at least 74°C (165°F) within 2 hours, and never reheat the same food more than once.

Thermometer calibration

Verify a probe thermometer using an ice-water bath at 0°C or boiling water at 100°C at sea level, and adjust or replace it if readings differ.

Linear workflow design

Layout that moves food from receiving through storage, preparation, and cooking to dispatch without raw and ready-to-eat paths crossing.

Pest proofing

Physical measures such as door sweeps, screens, air curtains, and sealed gaps that prevent pests from entering food premises.

Food contact surface requirements

Surfaces must be smooth, impervious, non-toxic, corrosion-resistant, and easy to clean and sanitize, with smooth sealed joints.

Potable water use

Drinking-quality water must be used for food preparation, ice making, handwashing, and cleaning; ice must be made from potable water and stored covered.

Waste container requirements

Waste containers must be covered, leak-proof, and pest-proof, emptied frequently, and cleaned and sanitized after emptying, away from food areas.

Traceability requirement

Records must allow food to be traced one step back to the supplier and one step forward to the customer, supporting recalls and investigations.

Due diligence defence

Documented food safety procedures and records demonstrating that reasonable precautions were taken to prevent a food safety failure.