See + Try- Handle food hygienically

Area A - Receiving dock/store

Carla:

There are six events in this scene. Choose the best option in each event.

Go to the Work tips for this area

1st event

The early bird

Carla:

Look at that! There’s a bird eating the bread delivery.

Level of bacteria rises

You’re the first to arrive at work and have noticed a bird pecking at the bread delivery. What are you going to do?

1) Shoo it away.

Incorrect

Think again. The bread may have been contaminated, as birds carry bacteria and insects.

 

2) Report the problem to the supervisor.

Correct

That’s correct. The bread can’t be used as it may have been contaminated - birds carry bacteria and insects. The supervisor can follow it up with the supplier to arrange for replacement goods.

 

3) Throw out the bread that has been pecked and store the rest away.

Incorrect

That’s incorrect. The bread that hasn’t been pecked may still have been contaminated, as birds carry bacteria and insects. None of the bread should be used.

 

4) Move it to the store if it looks OK.

Incorrect

This is not a good idea. The bread may have been contaminated as birds carry bacteria and insects.

2nd event

Use by when?

Carla:

The use-by date of the cream is today!

Use-by date on bottles of cream is today

You have noticed the use-by date of the milk in the delivery is today. What should you do?

1) Reject the delivery of the milk.

Correct

Well done! Use-by dates of goods should be checked on delivery and rejected if they are past their use-by date or if there is not an appropriate amount of time left for the goods to be used.

 

2) Put it at the front of the store so it gets used first.

Incorrect

That’s incorrect. While it will be used first it may not all be used today, resulting in wastage.

 

3) Put it away following the first-in-first-out (FIFO) principle.

Incorrect

That’s not good practice. While the FIFO principle is important for storage, in this case the goods do not meet food safety practices.

3rd event

More in store

Carla:

Can you see those biscuits left on the floor?

There are packets of biscuits on the floor in the store. Should you do anything about this?

1) No, leave them on the floor if they’re not in the way.

Incorrect

Think again. Food should not be stored on the floor as it may become contaminated.

 

2) Yes, put them on the shelf - at the front.

Incorrect

Think again. While packaged dry goods must not be stored on the floor, there’s more you should take care to do.

 

3) Put them away using the first-in-first-out principle.

Correct

Well done! You should get these goods off the floor. Applying the first-in-first-out principle, will ensure that stocks are rotated with the oldest stock being used first .

4th event

Cake mix

Carla:

Yuk! Somebody's left raw meat above the cake!

There’s meat stored on an upper shelf with no drip tray underneath it. What are you going to do about this?

1) Cover the cake to protect it from contamination.

Incorrect

Think again. The cake is already cross-contaminated from the meat dripping above it.

 

2) Throw out the cake and discuss the problem with other kitchen staff.

Correct

Well done!

This cake is cross-contaminated from the meat juices and must be thrown out.

Foods should be covered during storage to protect them from contamination and raw meats should be stored on a tray to catch any drip.

 

3) Move the meat to a lower shelf and cover the cake. Report the problem to your supervisor.

Incorrect

Try again. The cake has already been cross-contaminated from the meat dripping above it. Discussing the problem is a good idea, but this mistake can be prevented by kitchen staff doing the right thing. Why not discuss it with them first?

 

4) Put a tray under the meat to catch the drip.

Incorrect

Try again. This action could lead to a food poisoning incident! The cake has already been cross-contaminated from the meat dripping above it.

5th event

Cold goods?

Carla:

That's a tray of cold goods.

Temperature of cold goods: Starts at –10 degrees Celsius and goes up to 0 degrees Celsius

There is a box of cold goods sitting in the dock area. What are you going to do?

1) Leave it there.

Incorrect

That’s not a good idea. These goods could reach the temperature danger zone.

 

2) Check the temperature and move them to the cold store immediately. Report the problem.

Correct

Well done! Cold or frozen goods must be moved to temperature-controlled storage immediately after receipt of delivery to prevent them from reaching the temperature danger zone. Reporting the problem will prevent recurrences.

 

3) Come back later when I’m not busy and put them away.

Incorrect

Think again. In the meantime these goods could reach the temperature danger zone.

6th event

Not so cool

Carla:

Here's the cool room – notice the temperature?

You’ve noticed the temperature gauge on the cool room reads 10°C. What are you going to do?

1) Check it again later to see if it has cooled down.

Incorrect

That’s not a good idea. The goods in the cool room are perishing!

 

2) Move stock that is still at or below 5°C to alternative refrigeration. Report the problem.

Correct

That’s correct. Refrigeration units must operate at or below 5°C. Report equipment not working properly so that it can be repaired quickly.

 

3) Report the problem - so that it will be repaired.

Incorrect

That’s incorrect as it’s only part of the answer. What else could you do?

 

4) Nothing - it’s just a temperature fluctuation.

Incorrect

Think again. Refrigeration units must operate at or below 5°C. Poor storage conditions will reduce the shelf life of goods resulting in a food safety hazard.

Area B - Kitchen

Carla:

There are six events in this scene. Choose the best option in each event.

Go to the Work tips for this area

1st event

Look at those chooks!

Carla:

What's wrong with those chooks?

There are chickens defrosting on the sink. What should you do?

1) Move them to the cool room.

Correct

Well done. You have prevented a food safety hazard. Foods should be defrosted in the cool room, not at room temperature, to ensure they don’t reach the temperature danger zone.

 

2) Leave them there, as it wasn’t me who left them there.

Incorrect

Think again. Foods should not be defrosted at room temperature.

 

3) Put a tray underneath them.

Incorrect

That’s incorrect. A drip tray is a good idea, but there’s something more important you should do.

2nd event

Using the cutting board

Carla:

That board was used for cutting chicken – what will you do with it now?

The board has been used for preparing raw chicken. Is it OK to leave the board there?

1) No, it should be cleaned and sanitised before it is used again.

Correct

That’s correct. Utensils, knives, chopping boards and work surfaces should all be washed and sanitised after being used to prepare raw chicken. This will prevent cross-contamination.

 

2) Yes, I should get to my next job quickly - there’s lots of work to do.

Incorrect

That’s incorrect. Think again. You will leave behind a potential food safety hazard!

 

3) No, I should wipe the board with a dishcloth before it is used again.

Incorrect

That’s not safe practice. You will create a potential food safety hazard!

 

4) Turn the board over and use the other side.

Incorrect

That’s incorrect. Think again.

3rd event

Is the chook cooked?

Carla:

OK, let's see how that chicken is going.

Temperature of chicken: 65°C (not moving).

The internal temperature of the chicken is 65°C. What should you do?

1) Take them out of the oven, as they look well browned.

Incorrect

Think again. You can’t rely on colour and smell as indicators of doneness for high-risk foods.

 

2) Continue cooking until an internal temperature of 75°C is reached.

Correct

Well done. Poultry should be cooked to 75°C. Cooking foods to this temperature destroys most bacteria.

 

3) Continue cooking until an internal temperature of 100°C is reached.

Incorrect

That’s not a good idea. The poultry will overcook at this temperature and have a dry texture.

4th event

Cooling off

Carla:

Time to take that veal casserole out of the oven!

You have just finished making a veal casserole for service tomorrow. How will you cool it?

1) Move the dish near the window in the kitchen to help it cool faster.

Incorrect

That’s incorrect. There are better ways to speed the cooling process.

 

2) Move the dish to the cool room straight away.

Incorrect

Think again. Very hot foods should not be placed in the cool room, refrigerator or freezer, as they will raise the temperature of other foods.

 

3) Leave it out for a while and then put the dish in the cool room.

Incorrect

Try again. That’s only part of the answer.

 

4) Transfer the food to shallow containers and stir occasionally. Then put the dish in the cool room.

Correct

Well done. Very hot foods should not be placed in the cool room, refrigerator or freezer, as they will raise the temperature of other foods. Large volumes of wet dishes such as soups and casseroles cool slowly, even when refrigerated.

5th event

Taste test

Carla:

Marco's tasting the sauce – what do you notice about how he does it?

Marco is tasting the sauce and has a clean spoon ready for each tasting. What is he doing?

1) Creating more washing up. He could have dipped his finger in.

Incorrect

That’s incorrect. This is not a good way to prevent contaminating the food!

 

2) Creating more washing up. He could have used the cooking spoon.

Incorrect

Think again. He will be contaminating the food with his saliva the next time the cooking spoon goes back into the pot!

 

3) He’s tasting the sauce to check the seasoning. He is correctly using a clean spoon for each taste.

Correct

That’s correct. Using a clean spoon for every tasting will prevent bacteria or viruses being transferred to the food through saliva.

 

4) He’s tasting the sauce to check the seasoning. But he only needs to use one spoon for each tasting.

Incorrect

Think again. Marco’s saliva will transfer to the sauce on the next taste if he keeps using one spoon.

6th event

Low on gloves

Carla:

Those gloves are just about all gone!

You have noticed that the supply of single-use gloves has nearly run out. What should you do?

1) Report the situation to the supervisor immediately.

Correct

That’s correct. The supervisor will order more gloves.

 

2) Use the same pair all day, if necessary, to save gloves.

Incorrect

Think again. It is essential that single-use gloves be changed frequently, as you would wash your hands, to prevent contamination of food.

 

3) Don’t wear gloves, if necessary.

Incorrect

That’s not safe practice. Single- use gloves are an important way of minimising the handling of ready-to-eat foods like salads, sandwiches, cold desserts and even garnishes.

Simulation C - Service area

Carla:

There are six events in this scene. Choose the best option in each event.

Go to the Work tips for this area

1st event

Would you like ice with that?

Katya:

Is that enough ice for you?

You’ve observed Katya picking up ice with her hand. Will you do the same?

1) Yes, it’s OK to do this.

Incorrect

No, it is not safe to use your hands! Using your hands to dispense ice poses a risk of bacterial or viral contamination of the drink.

 

2) No, it is safer to scoop the ice with the glass.

Incorrect

If the glass were to break when being used as a scoop it would pose a risk of physical contamination of glass shards.

Try again.

 

3) No, it is safer to use a scoop.

Correct

Well done. Even though it saves time you must not use your hands to dispense ice; a scoop is the safest option.

2nd event

Off the boil

Carla:

The temperature of that food has read 50°Celcius for the last half hour.

Temperature of dishes is 50°C (not moving).

The temperature of food in the bain-marie has read 50°C for the last half hour. What are you going to do?

1) Remove the dish from service and throw it out.

Incorrect

Try again. It is not necessary to throw the food out as it has not been in the temperature danger zone for four hours.

 

2) Leave it a while to heat up more and then retest it.

Incorrect

That’s incorrect. A bain-marie is not used to heat food just to keep it hot.

 

3) Remove it, reheat it to 75°C and return it to the bain-marie.

Correct

That’s correct. Food that has a temperature below 60°C should be removed from service and reheated to 75°C as it poses a food safety risk.

3rd event

Did you see that?

Carla:

What's that customer doing?

You noticed a customer drop a serving spoon and then pick it up and put it back on the servery. What corrective action should you take?

1) Rinse it and put it back.

Incorrect

Try again. Rinsing is not sufficient to remove bacteria.

 

2) Nothing - it was only on the floor for a couple of seconds.

Incorrect

That’s not safe practice. A few seconds is long enough for the serving spoon to become contaminated.

 

3) Replace the spoon with a clean one.

Correct

Well done. Serving utensils that become contaminated during service should be removed and replaced with clean, sanitised utensils.

4th event

Top up

Carla:

That's nearly empty.

You’ve noticed a dish in the bain-marie is nearly empty up. How will you replenish it?

1) Replace the nearly empty container with a fresh one.

Correct

That’s correct. You must not mix fresh batches of food with old batches.

 

2) Add more of the heated dish to the nearly empty container.

Incorrect

That’s incorrect. You must not mix fresh batches of food with old batches as at the end of service, leftover food must be discarded when it has been on display for more than 60 minutes.

 

3) Add some more of the dish to the container and stir a few times to help it heat through.

Incorrect

Think again. You must not mix fresh batches of food with old batches as at the end of service, leftover food must be discarded when it has been on display for more than 60 minutes. Also you must not use a bain-marie for reheating.

5th event

Dressing up

Carla:

It's time to serve that cake!

You have a dressing over a cut on your finger and need to cut and serve a piece of cake. What should you do?

1) Wear a single-use glove.

Correct

Well done. Single-use gloves act as a barrier between the food handler and the food.

 

2) Nothing - the dressing is clean.

Incorrect

That’s incorrect. Even clean dressings can harbour bacteria and they may fall off into the food unnoticed.

 

3) Take the band-aid off first as it harbours germs.

Incorrect

Think again. You need a barrier between your injury and the food!

6th event

Closing down

Katya:

This is left over from the lunch buffet. I’ll leave it out in case the waiters want a snack, and throw it out later.

A dish with cold meat has been out (unrefridgerated) for the lunch service. Should Katya be offering this food to other staff?

1) Yes, this cold meat can be eaten immediately or otherwise thrown away.

Correct

That’s correct. The rule is that any ready-to-eat high-risk food that has been stored in the temperature danger zone a total of two hours or more, but less than four hours, must be used immediately.

 

2) No, she’s wasting food. It should be refrigerated for tomorrow’s buffet.

Incorrect

Think again. These cold meats have been in the temperature danger zone for a total of more than two hours if they’ve been out for lunch!

 

3) Yes, but it could also be wrapped up for the staff to take home.

Incorrect

That’s not safe practice for ready-to-eat, high risk food. This could pose a food safety hazard if the food is not consumed straight away.