ServSafe Manager 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 of 41°F to 135°F (5°C to 57°C) in which bacteria multiply fastest; TCS food must not be held in this range except briefly during preparation.

Five risk factors

Purchasing from unsafe sources, failing to cook food adequately, holding food at unsafe temperatures, using contaminated equipment, and practicing poor personal hygiene.

HACCP seven principles

Conduct a hazard analysis, identify critical control points, set critical limits, monitor the control points, take corrective actions, verify the system works, and keep records.

Active managerial control

A food safety management system in which the person in charge actively monitors and controls the five risk factors during daily operations instead of reacting after an illness occurs.

Corrective action

The predetermined step a manager takes when monitoring shows a critical limit was missed, such as discarding the food, reheating it, or repairing the equipment.

Big Six pathogens

The six highly infectious pathogens requiring exclusion of a diagnosed or exposed handler: Nontyphoidal Salmonella, Salmonella Typhi, Shigella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Hepatitis A, and Norovirus.

FATTOM conditions

The six conditions bacteria need to grow: food, acidity, temperature, time, oxygen, and moisture. Removing any one of them limits or stops growth.

Major food allergens

Milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame; these proteins must appear on labels and be protected from cross-contact.

Norovirus transmission

A virus spread by infected food handlers through bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food, and by shellfish harvested in contaminated water; cooking does not reliably destroy it.

Listeria monocytogenes

A bacterium found in unpasteurized dairy, deli meat, and other ready-to-eat food; it grows slowly at refrigerator temperatures, so cold storage alone does not control it.

Spore-forming bacteria

Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens survive cooking as spores and grow when food cools slowly or is held warm; Clostridium botulinum grows in low-acid, oxygen-free food.

Handwashing scrub time

Lather and scrub hands and forearms for 10 to 15 seconds, rinse thoroughly, and dry with a single-use paper towel; the complete process takes about 20 seconds.

When to wash hands

Before starting work and before touching food or equipment, and after using the restroom, handling raw meat, touching the body, coughing, sneezing, eating, smoking, or taking out garbage.

Exclude versus restrict

Exclusion means the handler stays out of the operation; restriction means they may work but cannot touch food or food-contact surfaces. Vomiting, diarrhea, and jaundice require exclusion.

Glove change rules

Wash hands before putting gloves on, change them between tasks and after 4 hours of continuous use, and never wash, reuse, or wear torn gloves.

Bare-hand contact rule

Do not touch ready-to-eat food with bare hands; use single-use gloves, deli tissue, tongs, or utensils unless the operation has an approved written alternative procedure.

Receiving milk temperature

Receive milk and dairy at 41°F (5°C) or lower; shell eggs and live shellfish are received at 45°F (7°C) or lower, and shellfish need intact identification tags.

Shellstock identification tags

Keep the tags from shellfish containers on file for 90 days from the date the last shellfish from that container was sold or served.

Date marking rule

Ready-to-eat TCS food held longer than 24 hours must be marked with a discard date no more than 7 days after preparation, counting the preparation day as day one.

FIFO rotation

First in, first out: store older product in front and newer product behind, and check dates so the oldest food is used first.

Refrigerator storage order

Top to bottom: ready-to-eat food, whole fish and seafood, whole cuts of beef and pork, ground meat, then poultry on the bottom, to prevent dripping contamination.

Poultry cooking temperature

Cook poultry, stuffing, stuffed dishes, and reheated leftovers to 165°F (74°C) for 15 seconds, the highest minimum internal temperature in the cooking chart.

Ground meat temperature

Cook ground beef, ground pork, and other ground meat to 155°F (68°C) for 17 seconds; the same temperature applies to ratites and injected meats.

Whole cuts temperature

Cook whole cuts of beef and pork and whole seafood to 145°F (63°C) for 15 seconds; whole cuts of meat need a 3-minute rest before service.

Two-stage cooling

Cool food from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then from 70°F to 41°F within 4 more hours, for a 6-hour total limit.

Approved thawing methods

Thaw food under refrigeration at 41°F or lower, under running water at 70°F or lower, in a microwave if cooked immediately, or as part of the cooking process.

Four-hour rule

TCS food may be held without temperature control for up to 4 hours if it starts cold at 41°F or lower or hot at 135°F or higher, then it must be discarded.

Cleaning versus sanitizing

Cleaning removes food and soil from a surface; sanitizing reduces the number of pathogens on it to safe levels. A surface must be cleaned before it can be sanitized.

Chlorine sanitizer concentration

Chlorine sanitizer is mixed at 50 to 99 ppm in water at about 75°F, and food-contact surfaces need roughly 30 seconds of contact time before air drying.

Three-compartment sink steps

Wash in the first sink with detergent, rinse in the second with clean water, sanitize in the third sink, then air dry; dishes are never towel dried.

Sanitizing frequency

Clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces every 4 hours during continuous use, and also after any task change, interruption, or contamination event.

Integrated pest management

Deny pests entry by sealing openings, deny them food and water by storing product off the floor and cleaning thoroughly, and work with a licensed pest control operator.