Free SCFHS Food Safety Technician mock test

Food Safety Technician sample questions with answers

10 more original exam-style Food Safety Technician questions, worked in full. They are not real or recalled exam questions, and none of them is in the mock above or on the bank page, so sit the mock first if you have not.

1. Question 1 · Food Equipment and Utensils

   What is the correct order for manual warewashing in a three-compartment sink?

   1. ARinse, wash in detergent, dry with a cloth, then sanitise before storing
   2. BScrape, wash in detergent, rinse in clean water, sanitise, then air-dry
   3. CSanitise, wash in detergent, rinse in clean water, then dry with a towel
   4. DWash in detergent, sanitise, rinse in clean water, then dry with a towel
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B. Scrape, wash in detergent, rinse in clean water, sanitise, then air-dry

   Detergent removes soil first, rinsing removes detergent that would inactivate sanitiser, then sanitising and air-drying finish the process. Towel drying recontaminates clean items, and sanitising before washing is ineffective on soiled surfaces.

   Reference: FDA Food Code (2022), manual warewashing

2. Question 2 · Food Materials

   On receiving a carton of frozen prawns, which finding best suggests that the product has thawed and been refrozen during transport?

   1. AA carton clearly printed with a batch number and a best-before date from the supplier
   2. BA solid block of ice at the bottom of the carton with prawns frozen into it
   3. CPrawns that are individually frozen and loose inside the bag with no lumps or ice
   4. DA light frost on the outer surface of the bag after it left the delivery freezer
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B. A solid block of ice at the bottom of the carton with prawns frozen into it

   Liquid that drained from thawing product and then refroze forms a block at the bottom, and prawns fused in it show a break in the cold chain. Light frost, loose individually frozen pieces and correct labelling are normal.

   Reference: FDA Food Code (2022), receiving frozen food

3. Question 3 · Food Poisoning

   Four people develop flushing, headache and a rash within 30 minutes of eating tuna sandwiches. Which cause is most likely?

   1. ANorovirus passed from a food handler to the fillings
   2. BHistamine formed in tuna that was kept warm
   3. CSalmonella in the mayonnaise used in the sandwiches
   4. DVibrio parahaemolyticus in raw seafood used as the filling
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B. Histamine formed in tuna that was kept warm

   Scombroid poisoning arises when bacteria convert histidine in temperature-abused fish to histamine, which cooking does not destroy. The rapid onset of flushing and rash differs from infections with onset of many hours or days.

   Reference: Jay JM, Loessner MJ, Golden DA, Modern Food Microbiology, 7th ed. (2005)

4. Question 4 · Food Poisoning

   A beef stew is cooked in a large pot, left to cool overnight on the counter and reheated at lunchtime. Cramps and diarrhoea begin 12 hours after eating. What failure best explains this?

   1. ASalmonella from poorly washed hands on the day before the meal was cooked
   2. BStaphylococcal toxin formed while the stew was reheated on a hot plate
   3. CNorovirus carried on the ladle by a cook who had recently been ill
   4. DSlow cooling let Clostridium perfringens spores germinate and multiply
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: D. Slow cooling let Clostridium perfringens spores germinate and multiply

   Large volumes cool slowly, and perfringens spores survive cooking and grow in the warm stew. Onset of 8 to 16 hours with cramps and diarrhoea fits. Staphylococcal illness causes vomiting within hours, and the other options do not match the story.

   Reference: Forsythe SJ, The Microbiology of Safe Food, 3rd ed. (2020)

5. Question 5 · Food Equipment and Utensils

   Which practice with a probe thermometer prevents cross-contamination?

   1. AWiping it on the apron after each use
   2. BRinsing it when it looks dirty
   3. CUsing it first on cooked food and then on raw food
   4. DCleaning and sanitising the probe between foods
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: D. Cleaning and sanitising the probe between foods

   Probes touch the food, so they are cleaned and sanitised before the next item to avoid moving bacteria. An apron, occasional rinsing or a cooked-to-raw sequence moves contamination.

   Reference: US FDA, Food Code (2022)

6. Question 6 · Food Materials

   Which food is a time and temperature control for safety food, which needs refrigeration?

   1. ADry lentils in a sealed bag
   2. BPickled vegetables in strong vinegar
   3. CCooked rice in a covered dish
   4. DSugar syrup in a closed bottle
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: C. Cooked rice in a covered dish

   Cooked rice is moist, low in acid and rich in nutrients, so spores and bacteria multiply if it is kept warm. Dry, acidic and high-sugar foods do not support growth.

   Reference: US FDA, Food Code (2022)

7. Question 7 · Geographic Location

   What is the best way to keep flies out of a kitchen?

   1. ALeave the back door open for ventilation
   2. BUse a bright light by the food area
   3. CFit screens and self-closing doors, and keep waste in lidded bins
   4. DSpray a space insecticide over the preparation area during service
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: C. Fit screens and self-closing doors, and keep waste in lidded bins

   Physical proofing and removing waste attractants prevent entry and breeding. Open doors let flies in, light alone does not stop them and spraying over food contaminates it.

   Reference: WHO, Five Keys to Safer Food Manual (2006)

8. Question 8 · Sterilisation and Sanitation

   A test strip shows that the quaternary ammonium sanitiser in a bucket is too weak. What is the likely reason?

   1. AThe solution is too fresh and has not yet reached its working strength
   2. BIt is over-diluted or used up by food residue, so it should be remade
   3. CThe strip detects chlorine, so the reading is not valid for this product
   4. DThe bucket is too clean, which stops the sanitiser from working
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B. It is over-diluted or used up by food residue, so it should be remade

   Sanitiser strength falls with dilution error or load of organic matter, so a weak reading means making a fresh solution at the correct strength. Fresh solution is active, and using the right strip is part of testing.

   Reference: US FDA, Food Code (2022)

9. Question 9 · Food Quality

   To what core temperature should cooked, cooled food be reheated before it is served hot?

   1. ATo a core temperature of 75 degrees C or above
   2. BTo 60 degrees C, the same as the hot-holding limit
   3. CTo 50 degrees C, until it steams on the surface
   4. DTo 65 degrees C, measured on the surface of the food
   Show answer and explanation

   Correct answer: A. To a core temperature of 75 degrees C or above

   Reheating to a core temperature of 74 to 75 degrees C or above kills the vegetative bacteria that grew during cooling. 60 degrees C is only the hot-holding limit, and 50 degrees C or a surface reading does not show that the centre is safe.

   Reference: US FDA, Food Code (2022), reheating for hot holding

10. Question 10 · Food Poisoning

    Which foodborne cause is typically linked to undercooked minced beef and can lead to kidney failure in children?

    1. AStaphylococcus aureus from skin and nasal carriers
    2. BClostridium perfringens from slowly cooled stews
    3. CShiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, such as O157
    4. DBacillus cereus from rice left at room temperature
    Show answer and explanation

    Correct answer: C. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, such as O157

    Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, such as O157, can cause bloody diarrhoea and haemolytic uraemic syndrome in children after undercooked beef. The other organisms cause short toxin illnesses without kidney failure.

    Reference: WHO, E. coli Fact Sheet (2018)