Food handler test questions and answers
The questions that come up most often on Australian food handler tests, answered properly — the right answer first, then why it's right. Every one of them is covered in the 17 free training modules.
When preparing food, any cuts and wounds should be…
Completely covered with a waterproof, brightly coloured bandage — and if the cut is on your hand or wrist, a single-use glove over the top of it. The dressing has to be waterproof so nothing can seep into food, and brightly coloured so it is easy to spot if it falls off.
Read the full answerWhat is the temperature danger zone?
In Australia, the temperature danger zone is 5°C to 60°C. That's the range where food-poisoning bacteria grow fastest, so potentially hazardous food should be kept at or below 5°C, or at or above 60°C — and moved through the zone as quickly as possible.
Read the full answerWhat is FAT TOM in food safety?
FAT TOM is a memory aid for the six conditions bacteria need in order to multiply: Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen and Moisture. Remove or limit any one of them and bacterial growth slows down — which is what every food safety control is really doing.
Read the full answerWhat are the 4 types of food contamination?
Biological, chemical, physical and allergenic. Biological contamination — bacteria, viruses, moulds and parasites — is by far the most common cause of food poisoning, but all four are covered in a food handler course because you prevent them in different ways.
Read the full answerWhich of the following will destroy most food allergens?
None of them — cooking does not destroy food allergens. Deep frying, boiling and microwaving all kill bacteria, but the proteins that cause allergic reactions survive normal cooking. The only reliable control is keeping the allergen away from the food in the first place.
Read the full answerA customer requests a peanut-free meal as they are allergic to peanuts. You would…
Treat it as a safety request, not a preference: tell your supervisor and the kitchen, check the ingredients and labels of everything in the dish, make sure the meal is prepared with clean hands and clean equipment away from peanuts, and keep it identified all the way to the table. If you can't be confident the meal is peanut-free, say so rather than guessing.
Read the full answerWho is considered a food handler?
Anyone who directly handles food, or who handles surfaces and equipment likely to come into contact with food, as part of a food business. Job title is irrelevant — a kitchen hand, a canteen worker and a chef are all food handlers, and so is the person washing the boards or wiping the benches.
Read the full answerWhat are the legal responsibilities of a food handler?
Under Standard 3.2.2 of the Food Standards Code, a food handler must take all practicable measures to avoid contaminating food, must tell their supervisor if they have a foodborne illness or symptoms, must keep themselves and their clothing clean, and must wash their hands whenever contamination is likely. The business has its own separate duties on top of these.
Read the full answerWhere should a food handler check the temperature of food?
In the thickest part or centre of the food — the point that heats last and cools last — using a clean, sanitised probe thermometer accurate to ±1°C. Checking the surface, or reading the fridge or bain-marie display instead of the food itself, will give you a number that looks fine while the centre is still in the danger zone.
Read the full answerHow many questions are in the food handlers test?
It depends on the provider — most Australian food handler tests run between 20 and 40 multiple-choice questions. Ours has 30, the pass mark is 75%, and retakes are free.
Read the full answerReady to sit the test?
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