20 Purchasing, Receiving & Storage Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. A line cook offers to bring in jars of vegetables she pickles and cans at her own home so the kitchen can sell them as a side dish. What must the person in charge do?

   • A.Allow it once the health inspector approves the recipe used.
   • B.Refuse the product and buy only from an approved supplier.✓ Answer
   • C.Allow it if the jars are heated thoroughly before service.
   • D.Allow it if she labels each jar with the ingredients used.

   Food offered in a food establishment must come from a source that complies with law and is subject to regulatory inspection. A private home kitchen is not a regulated source, so home-canned or home-prepared food may not be used or sold no matter how it is labeled, heated, or approved afterward.

   Source: FDA Food Code — approved source requirement; food prepared in a private home may not be used or offered in a food establishmentReport a problem with this question

2. 2. A regular guest who fishes recreationally offers to sell your kitchen oysters he harvested himself. Why is buying molluscan shellfish only from certified dealers the single control for the hazard involved?

   • A.Shellfish spoil faster than other seafood once out of the water.
   • B.Toxins and pathogens from unsafe growing waters survive cooking.✓ Answer
   • C.Shellfish must be shucked by the harvester before being sold.
   • D.Shells cannot be inspected for damage once shellfish are chilled.

   Molluscan shellfish filter large volumes of water and concentrate marine biotoxins and pathogens from the growing area. Biotoxins are heat stable, so no cooking, holding, or handling step in the operation can remove the hazard, which is why the control lives entirely in harvest-water certification and in tagged, traceable product from a certified dealer.

   Source: FDA Food Code — molluscan shellfish must come from sources certified under the national shellfish sanitation program; recreationally harvested shellfish may not be received for sale or serviceReport a problem with this question

3. 3. You are selecting a new produce distributor. Which practice gives the strongest ongoing assurance that the supplier remains an approved and reputable source?

   • A.Requiring the driver to sign your receiving log at every delivery.
   • B.Asking the sales representative to confirm the firm follows the law.
   • C.Choosing the distributor whose delivery window fits your prep schedule.
   • D.Reviewing the firm's regulatory inspection and audit reports periodically.✓ Answer

   An approved supplier is one that is inspected by a regulatory authority and can demonstrate it meets the law, so the manager's control is documentary verification — written purchase specifications plus periodic review of inspection and third-party audit results — rather than a verbal assurance or a convenient delivery schedule.

   Source: FDA Food Code — food must be obtained from sources that comply with law; manager verification through written purchase specifications and supplier recordsReport a problem with this question

4. 4. Your menu will add a raw marinated fish appetizer that is served without cooking. What must you obtain and keep on file for that fish?

   • A.A harvest certificate showing the fish came from federal waters.
   • B.A laboratory report showing the fish carry no bacteria or viruses.
   • C.An invoice showing the fish arrived below the required temperature.
   • D.A supplier statement that the fish were frozen to destroy parasites.✓ Answer

   Fish that will be served raw or undercooked must first be frozen under a validated time-and-temperature regimen that destroys parasites, and the person in charge must be able to produce either the operation's own freezing records or a written statement from the supplier that the freezing was done, kept for the retention period the regulatory authority sets.

   Source: FDA Food Code — fish served raw or undercooked must be frozen for parasite destruction, with freezing records or a supplier's written statement retainedReport a problem with this question

5. 5. Deliveries at your operation routinely arrive in the middle of the lunch rush and sit on the dock until someone is free to check them. What is the best managerial correction?

   • A.Move deliveries to off-peak hours and assign a trained staff receiver.✓ Answer
   • B.Accept the deliveries during the rush and check temperatures afterward.
   • C.Ask suppliers to certify temperatures so dock checks are not needed.
   • D.Train every employee to sign for deliveries as soon as a driver arrives.

   Receiving is a control point: the only chance to verify approved source, temperature, and condition is at the moment of delivery, before the food enters the operation. The manager's fix is to schedule deliveries when a trained receiver can inspect them immediately, and to refuse any load that cannot be inspected before it is accepted.

   Source: FDA Food Code — receiving requirements for source, temperature, and condition, applied through active managerial control at the point of deliveryReport a problem with this question

6. 6. A case of vacuum-packed (reduced-oxygen-packaged) salmon fillets arrives. How should the receiver take its temperature?

   • A.Slide the probe between two packages without piercing them.✓ Answer
   • B.Puncture a package and probe the thickest part of one fillet.
   • C.Rest the probe on the top package until the reading settles.
   • D.Open a package and immerse the sensing area in the purge liquid.

   Piercing a reduced-oxygen package destroys the barrier the packaging provides and exposes the fish to contamination and to the spoilage the package was designed to prevent. Sandwiching the probe's sensing area between two packages gives a reading that reflects product temperature without breaking any seal.

   Source: FDA Food Code — receiving temperature requirement for refrigerated time/temperature control for safety food, with standard probe placement for reduced-oxygen packagesReport a problem with this question

7. 7. Your receiving standard, taken from the model code your regulatory authority has adopted, requires shell eggs to be received in refrigerated equipment that holds an ambient air temperature of 45°F or less. A pallet of shell eggs arrives on a refrigerated truck. What does the receiver measure to judge compliance?

   • A.The temperature of the pooled eggs once they reach the cooler.
   • B.The internal temperature of an egg broken from a middle carton.
   • C.The air temperature inside the compartment holding the eggs.✓ Answer
   • D.The surface temperature of the carton nearest the rear door.

   The standard for shell eggs is written as an ambient air temperature because whole eggs in the shell cool slowly, so one egg's internal reading does not show whether the transport unit was actually holding the required condition. The receiver therefore reads the air in the refrigerated space where the eggs are carried.

   Source: FDA Food Code — raw shell eggs must be received in refrigerated equipment maintaining the specified ambient air temperatureReport a problem with this question

8. 8. A case of frozen shrimp arrives with large ice crystals on the bags and dried fluid stains in the bottom of the case. What should the receiver do?

   • A.Reject it, because those signs show the product thawed and refroze.✓ Answer
   • B.Reject it only if the bags still feel soft when they are pressed.
   • C.Accept it, because the ice crystals prove the product stayed frozen.
   • D.Accept it and move it straight to the coldest part of the freezer.

   Large surface ice crystals and fluid or water stains in the bottom of the case are evidence of temperature abuse: the product lost moisture as it thawed and that moisture refroze. Safety and quality were already compromised before arrival, and refreezing it in your freezer cannot undo the abuse.

   Source: FDA Food Code — food shipped frozen must be received frozen and free of evidence of previous temperature abuseReport a problem with this question

9. 9. Four cases of canned goods are waiting on the receiving dock. Which can must the receiver reject?

   • A.A can whose paper label is faded but still fully attached.
   • B.A can in a carton scuffed by ordinary handling in transit.
   • C.A can with an end that bulges outward and a rusted seam.✓ Answer
   • D.A can with a shallow dent in the middle of the body panel.

   A swollen or bulging end signals gas produced inside the container, and rust or damage at a seam can breach the hermetic seal; either way the container no longer protects the food from contamination. A shallow dent away from the seams, a faded but attached label, and a scuffed outer carton do not defeat that protection.

   Source: FDA Food Code — package integrity requirement; containers must be in good condition and protect the contents from contaminationReport a problem with this question

10. 10. A delivery of fresh chicken arrives. Which observation requires the receiver to reject it?

    • A.The flesh is firm and springs back after it is pressed.
    • B.The skin is pale where the pieces were touching each other.
    • C.The flesh is slimy and holds the imprint of a finger.✓ Answer
    • D.The label carries a use-by date later in the coming week.

    Sliminess and flesh that keeps a finger imprint mean spoilage bacteria have already grown and broken down the tissue, so the product fails the condition check at receiving. Firm flesh, color variation where pieces touched, and a future use-by date are all normal and are not grounds for rejection.

    Source: FDA Food Code — food must be received in sound condition, free of spoilage and evidence of previous temperature abuseReport a problem with this question

11. 11. Your receiver rejects a case of milk at the dock. What must happen next?

    • A.Set it apart, tell the driver the reason, and get a signed credit.✓ Answer
    • B.Put it back on the truck and correct the invoice at month's end.
    • C.Hold the case in the cooler until the supplier's next delivery.
    • D.Pour it out and record the loss on the next inventory count sheet.

    Rejection is a corrective action that must be completed and documented: the item is separated so it cannot be mistaken for accepted stock, the driver is told exactly what is wrong so the supplier can correct it, a signed credit or adjustment slip is obtained, and the rejection is logged so recurring problems with that supplier become visible.

    Source: FDA Food Code — receiving criteria and corrective action for food that does not meet requirements at deliveryReport a problem with this question

12. 12. Your regulatory authority requires shellstock identification tags to be kept for 90 calendar days in a chronological filing system. From which date does that 90-day period run?

    • A.The date the delivery was received and signed for at the dock.
    • B.The date the dealer printed on the container as a sell-by date.
    • C.The date the shellstock were harvested from the growing area.
    • D.The date the last shellfish from that container was served.✓ Answer

    The tag stays attached to its container until that container is empty, and the date the last shellfish from it was sold or served is written on the tag. Retention runs from that date because it is the last day the product could have reached a guest, which is exactly what an illness traceback needs.

    Source: FDA Food Code — shellstock tags must remain attached until the container is empty and be retained chronologically from the date the last shellfish was sold or servedReport a problem with this question

13. 13. In a walk-in cooler holding several raw animal foods on different shelves, what principle decides which item goes on which shelf?

    • A.Each food is placed by how long it may be held before it is used.
    • B.Each food is placed by the minimum cooking temperature it requires.✓ Answer
    • C.Each food is placed by case weight, with the heaviest at the bottom.
    • D.Each food is placed by the date the case was received at the dock.

    Raw animal foods are stacked so that a food needing a higher minimum cooking temperature sits below one needing a lower temperature, with ready-to-eat food above them all. Drips travel downward, so anything that drips onto the food below will still be cooked hot enough to destroy what came with it, while ready-to-eat food will never be cooked at all.

    Source: FDA Food Code — separation of raw animal foods from ready-to-eat food and from one another during storage, arranged by minimum cooking temperatureReport a problem with this question

14. 14. A freezer holds commercially processed, packaged raw chicken and commercially processed, packaged ready-to-eat frozen desserts. Which statement about their storage is correct?

    • A.The raw chicken must always be kept on the lowest freezer shelf.
    • B.The packaged chicken may be stored above or beside the packaged desserts.✓ Answer
    • C.The desserts must be moved out whenever raw chicken is in the freezer.
    • D.The two products must be held in separate freezer units at all times.

    The separation rule for raw animal food exists to stop drips and direct contact, and food that is frozen, commercially processed, and still in an intact package cannot drip. That is why intact commercially packaged frozen raw product may be stored with or above commercially packaged frozen ready-to-eat product — an explicit exception that does not extend to refrigerated or unpackaged food.

    Source: FDA Food Code — separation of raw animal food from ready-to-eat food, with the exception for frozen, commercially processed and packaged productReport a problem with this question

15. 15. Walking the storeroom, the person in charge sees four storage situations. Which one must be corrected immediately?

    • A.Bottled beverages left in their cases on a clean, dry floor.
    • B.Flour bins standing beside a shelf of clean single-service cups.
    • C.Bagged onions sitting under a water line that drips condensate.✓ Answer
    • D.Cased canned goods stacked on a pallet in the dry store room.

    Food may not be stored where contamination can reach it from above or around it — under leaking or sweating water lines, under open stairwells, in toilet or locker rooms, or in mechanical and garbage areas — because the contamination lands on the food during storage. Cased goods on pallets, and cased bottles or cans on a clean dry floor, are permitted.

    Source: FDA Food Code — prohibited food storage locations, including under leaking or condensing water lines and in toilet, locker, mechanical, and garbage areasReport a problem with this question

16. 16. Why does the storeroom use nonabsorbent shelving raised clear of the floor, with cases kept out from the walls?

    • A.So air can move around the food and the floor can be cleaned and checked.✓ Answer
    • B.So the lowest cases are not crushed by the weight stacked above them.
    • C.So the room's relative humidity stays at the level dry goods require.
    • D.So strong odors are not absorbed by the food kept in the same room.

    Keeping food off the floor and away from walls on cleanable, nonabsorbent shelving protects it from splash and floor soil, lets air circulate so the cold or dry condition reaches every case, and leaves the floor and wall junctions visible and reachable for cleaning and inspection.

    Source: FDA Food Code — food must be stored in a clean, dry location, protected from splash and contamination, and elevated above the floor on cleanable shelvingReport a problem with this question

17. 17. A jug of sanitizer concentrate sits on a shelf directly above a rack of washed produce in the prep area. What must the manager do?

    • A.Move the produce one shelf lower and leave the chemical in place.
    • B.Leave it if the produce underneath is covered with plastic wrap.
    • C.Leave it if the container is sturdy and clearly labeled by name.
    • D.Move the chemical to a separate area below and away from food.✓ Answer

    Poisonous or toxic materials must be separated from food, equipment, utensils, linens, and single-service items by spacing or partitioning, and must never be located above them, because a leak, spill, or splash travels downward. A sturdy container, a good label, or a covered product does not satisfy the separation requirement; only warewashing chemicals kept in the warewashing area are handled differently.

    Source: FDA Food Code — poisonous or toxic materials must be separated from, and never located above, food, equipment, utensils, linens, and single-service articlesReport a problem with this question

18. 18. A spray bottle of degreaser and a squeeze bottle of oil, both filled from bulk containers, sit unlabeled on the cook line. What does the manager require?

    • A.Only the oil needs a label, because it is added to guests' food.
    • B.Only the degreaser needs a label, because it is a toxic material.
    • C.Both containers must be marked with the common name of the contents.✓ Answer
    • D.Neither needs a label while it stays in use during a single shift.

    A working container of food taken out of its original package must show the common name of the food, and a working container of a poisonous or toxic material must show the common name of that material. Once the original label is gone, the label the operation applies is the only thing preventing a chemical from being mistaken for an ingredient.

    Source: FDA Food Code — working containers of food removed from original packaging and working containers of poisonous or toxic materials must be identified with the common nameReport a problem with this question

19. 19. Your storeroom is rotated first in, first out. What does FIFO actually accomplish, and what does it not?

    • A.It removes the need to date-mark ready-to-eat food in the cooler.
    • B.It keeps stored cold food at the temperature the rules require.
    • C.It guarantees the food stays safe right up to its use-by date.
    • D.It moves older stock first but does not make expired food safe.✓ Answer

    FIFO is a stock-rotation method: it puts the oldest product in front so it is used before newer stock, which reduces the chance food sits past its date. It controls nothing else — temperature control, date marking, and discarding food that has passed its date are separate systems, and rotating expired product forward does not make it usable.

    Source: FDA Food Code — date marking and disposition of ready-to-eat time/temperature control for safety food; stock rotation as a supporting operational practiceReport a problem with this question

20. 20. Chicken is cooked on Sunday, cooled, and refrigerated. On Tuesday part of it is mixed into a ready-to-eat chicken salad. Your written procedure allows a maximum of 7 days at 41°F or below and counts the day of preparation as day 1. What use-by day goes on the salad?

    • A.Saturday of the same week.✓ Answer
    • B.Monday of the following week.
    • C.Tuesday of the following week.
    • D.Sunday of the following week.

    When ingredients prepared on different days are combined, the finished food keeps the date of the earliest-prepared ready-to-eat ingredient, so the clock started with Sunday's chicken and Sunday itself counts as day 1, putting day 7 on Saturday. Adding fresh ingredients on Tuesday does not restart the count; the date limits growth of cold-tolerant pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes.

    Source: FDA Food Code — date marking of refrigerated ready-to-eat time/temperature control for safety food; a combined food carries the date of the earliest-prepared ingredientReport a problem with this question

Practice questions based on the FDA Food Code and the published content areas used by ANSI/ANAB-CFP accredited food protection manager exams. Not affiliated with ServSafe® or the National Restaurant Association. Requirements are set by your regulatory authority, and jurisdictions adopt different editions of the model code — confirm the rules and thresholds that apply to your operation with your local health department before your exam. FDA Food Code →