FOOD SAFETY MANAGER EXAM WITH
VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS||
ALREADY GRADED A+|| LATEST VERSION
2026
SECTION 1: FOOD SAFETY FUNDAMENTALS & THE MANAGER'S
ROLE (Questions 1–25)
1. A foodborne illness outbreak is confirmed when:
A) One person reports vomiting after eating at a restaurant
B) Two or more people have the same symptoms after eating the same food
C) The CDC issues a food recall
D) A food handler tests positive for a pathogen
Answer: B — Two or more people experiencing the same illness after eating
the same food, confirmed by laboratory analysis.
2. Which population is NOT considered a high-risk group for foodborne
illness?
A) Elderly in a nursing home
B) Healthy 25-year-old restaurant manager
C) Preschool children
D) Pregnant women
Answer: B — High-risk populations include the elderly, young children,
pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals.
3. What is the temperature range of the "temperature danger zone"?
A) 32°F – 100°F (0°C – 38°C)
B) 41°F – 135°F (5°C – 57°C)
C) 50°F – 150°F (10°C – 66°C)
D) 40°F – 140°F (4°C – 60°C)
Answer: B — The FDA Food Code defines the temperature danger zone as
41°F to 135°F (5°C to 57°C). Bacteria grow most rapidly in this range.
,4. Active managerial control (AMC) is best described as:
A) Reducing labor costs by cross-training staff
B) Identifying and preventing foodborne illness risk factors
C) Passing every health inspection with zero violations
D) Documenting temperatures only when the inspector visits
Answer: B — Active managerial control is the FDA's preferred risk-based
approach where managers proactively identify and control the five risk factors
most often implicated in foodborne illness.
5. Which of the following is NOT one of the FDA's five risk factors for
foodborne illness?
A) Improper holding time and temperature
B) Poor personal hygiene of employees
C) High employee turnover in the establishment
D) Food from unsafe sources
Answer: C — The FDA identifies five primary risk factors: (1) food from
unsafe sources, (2) inadequate cooking, (3) improper holding
times/temperatures, (4) contaminated equipment, and (5) poor personal hygiene.
6. What is the FDA Food Code?
A) Federal law enforceable by police
B) A model for state and local health departments
C) An international food safety standard
D) A voluntary industry guideline
Answer: B — The FDA Food Code is a model that state and local health
departments adopt and adapt for their jurisdictions.
7. The Person In Charge (PIC) is responsible for all of the following
EXCEPT:
A) Training all staff in food safety
B) Complying with all state and local regulations
C) Correctly answering questions regarding food safety
D) Complying with staff's vacation requests
,Answer: D — The PIC's responsibilities include training, regulatory
compliance, and food safety knowledge, not personnel scheduling matters.
8. A manager finds a food handler with jaundice. What must be done?
A) Send them home until symptoms disappear
B) Exclude them and notify the regulatory authority
C) Let them work only with ready-to-eat food
D) Require them to wear gloves and a mask
Answer: B — Jaundice is a symptom of Hepatitis A. The regulatory authority
must be notified, and the employee must be excluded from the operation.
9. Food defense differs from food safety primarily because it focuses on:
A) Accidental contamination during cooking
B) Intentional adulteration of food by a person seeking to cause harm
C) Allergen cross-contact
D) Employee illness reporting
Answer: B — Food defense addresses intentional contamination (sabotage,
tampering, or terrorism). Food safety addresses unintentional contamination.
10. Which symptom is NOT typically associated with foodborne illness?
A) Nausea
B) Hair loss
C) Vomiting
D) Diarrhea
Answer: B — Hair loss is not a symptom of foodborne illness. Common
symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever.
11. Cooked and refrigerated food prepared for immediate service in
response to an individual consumer order may be served at:
A) Any temperature
B) A temperature that exceeds 165°F (74°C)
C) A temperature of at least 145°F (63°C)
D) A temperature between 135°F and 165°F (57°C and 74°C)
, Answer: A — Cooked and refrigerated food prepared for immediate service in
response to an individual order may be served at any temperature.
12. A self-inspection of a food establishment should be performed:
A) Only when a regulatory inspector schedules a visit
B) On a routine, scheduled basis using a written checklist
C) Only after a customer complaint
D) Once per year before recertification
Answer: B — Self-inspections must be a routine, ongoing tool for active
managerial control — typically daily for line checks and weekly or monthly for
full sanitation walk-throughs.
13. Which of the following diseases, if diagnosed, must be reported by a
conditional employee to the person in charge?
A) Norovirus
B) Rhinovirus
C) Influenza virus
D) Varicella-zoster virus
Answer: A — Norovirus is a reportable foodborne illness that must be reported
by employees.
14. A manager develops a positive food safety culture primarily by:
A) Posting handwashing reminders only in restrooms
B) Modeling safe behaviors and holding all staff accountable to the same
standards
C) Disciplining employees publicly when they break a rule
D) Limiting food safety training to new hires
Answer: B — A strong food-safety culture is built when managers consistently
demonstrate safe practices, communicate expectations, and apply rules equally
to every employee.
15. A regulatory inspector arrives unannounced and asks to see the
establishment's food safety records. The manager should:
A) Refuse access until a lawyer is present
B) Cooperate, provide the records, and accompany the inspector
VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS||
ALREADY GRADED A+|| LATEST VERSION
2026
SECTION 1: FOOD SAFETY FUNDAMENTALS & THE MANAGER'S
ROLE (Questions 1–25)
1. A foodborne illness outbreak is confirmed when:
A) One person reports vomiting after eating at a restaurant
B) Two or more people have the same symptoms after eating the same food
C) The CDC issues a food recall
D) A food handler tests positive for a pathogen
Answer: B — Two or more people experiencing the same illness after eating
the same food, confirmed by laboratory analysis.
2. Which population is NOT considered a high-risk group for foodborne
illness?
A) Elderly in a nursing home
B) Healthy 25-year-old restaurant manager
C) Preschool children
D) Pregnant women
Answer: B — High-risk populations include the elderly, young children,
pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals.
3. What is the temperature range of the "temperature danger zone"?
A) 32°F – 100°F (0°C – 38°C)
B) 41°F – 135°F (5°C – 57°C)
C) 50°F – 150°F (10°C – 66°C)
D) 40°F – 140°F (4°C – 60°C)
Answer: B — The FDA Food Code defines the temperature danger zone as
41°F to 135°F (5°C to 57°C). Bacteria grow most rapidly in this range.
,4. Active managerial control (AMC) is best described as:
A) Reducing labor costs by cross-training staff
B) Identifying and preventing foodborne illness risk factors
C) Passing every health inspection with zero violations
D) Documenting temperatures only when the inspector visits
Answer: B — Active managerial control is the FDA's preferred risk-based
approach where managers proactively identify and control the five risk factors
most often implicated in foodborne illness.
5. Which of the following is NOT one of the FDA's five risk factors for
foodborne illness?
A) Improper holding time and temperature
B) Poor personal hygiene of employees
C) High employee turnover in the establishment
D) Food from unsafe sources
Answer: C — The FDA identifies five primary risk factors: (1) food from
unsafe sources, (2) inadequate cooking, (3) improper holding
times/temperatures, (4) contaminated equipment, and (5) poor personal hygiene.
6. What is the FDA Food Code?
A) Federal law enforceable by police
B) A model for state and local health departments
C) An international food safety standard
D) A voluntary industry guideline
Answer: B — The FDA Food Code is a model that state and local health
departments adopt and adapt for their jurisdictions.
7. The Person In Charge (PIC) is responsible for all of the following
EXCEPT:
A) Training all staff in food safety
B) Complying with all state and local regulations
C) Correctly answering questions regarding food safety
D) Complying with staff's vacation requests
,Answer: D — The PIC's responsibilities include training, regulatory
compliance, and food safety knowledge, not personnel scheduling matters.
8. A manager finds a food handler with jaundice. What must be done?
A) Send them home until symptoms disappear
B) Exclude them and notify the regulatory authority
C) Let them work only with ready-to-eat food
D) Require them to wear gloves and a mask
Answer: B — Jaundice is a symptom of Hepatitis A. The regulatory authority
must be notified, and the employee must be excluded from the operation.
9. Food defense differs from food safety primarily because it focuses on:
A) Accidental contamination during cooking
B) Intentional adulteration of food by a person seeking to cause harm
C) Allergen cross-contact
D) Employee illness reporting
Answer: B — Food defense addresses intentional contamination (sabotage,
tampering, or terrorism). Food safety addresses unintentional contamination.
10. Which symptom is NOT typically associated with foodborne illness?
A) Nausea
B) Hair loss
C) Vomiting
D) Diarrhea
Answer: B — Hair loss is not a symptom of foodborne illness. Common
symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever.
11. Cooked and refrigerated food prepared for immediate service in
response to an individual consumer order may be served at:
A) Any temperature
B) A temperature that exceeds 165°F (74°C)
C) A temperature of at least 145°F (63°C)
D) A temperature between 135°F and 165°F (57°C and 74°C)
, Answer: A — Cooked and refrigerated food prepared for immediate service in
response to an individual order may be served at any temperature.
12. A self-inspection of a food establishment should be performed:
A) Only when a regulatory inspector schedules a visit
B) On a routine, scheduled basis using a written checklist
C) Only after a customer complaint
D) Once per year before recertification
Answer: B — Self-inspections must be a routine, ongoing tool for active
managerial control — typically daily for line checks and weekly or monthly for
full sanitation walk-throughs.
13. Which of the following diseases, if diagnosed, must be reported by a
conditional employee to the person in charge?
A) Norovirus
B) Rhinovirus
C) Influenza virus
D) Varicella-zoster virus
Answer: A — Norovirus is a reportable foodborne illness that must be reported
by employees.
14. A manager develops a positive food safety culture primarily by:
A) Posting handwashing reminders only in restrooms
B) Modeling safe behaviors and holding all staff accountable to the same
standards
C) Disciplining employees publicly when they break a rule
D) Limiting food safety training to new hires
Answer: B — A strong food-safety culture is built when managers consistently
demonstrate safe practices, communicate expectations, and apply rules equally
to every employee.
15. A regulatory inspector arrives unannounced and asks to see the
establishment's food safety records. The manager should:
A) Refuse access until a lawyer is present
B) Cooperate, provide the records, and accompany the inspector
