Final test · 30 questions

Final test: Food handler and allergens

30 questions with the explanation and the rule behind each answer. You pass with 24; if you pass, you download the PDF certificate right here.

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Missed a module? Review it first:

1. What a food handler is and what the law requires
2. Food hazards and foodborne illness
3. Personal hygiene
4. Temperatures, storage and dates
5. Cross-contamination, cleaning and pests
6. Allergens: the 14 and how to inform customers
7. Food safety management: HACCP and records
8. Food safety culture

Final test: 30 questions

Answer all 30 questions. You pass with 24 or more correct (80%). When it is marked you will see the explanation and the rule behind each answer. You can retake it as many times as you like.

1. Is there an official food handler card in Spain today?Yes, each autonomous community issues itYes, AESAN issues itNo: Royal Decree 109/2010 repealed Royal Decree 202/2000 and there is no official formatOnly for working in hospitality

AESAN sums it up: the old food handler card no longer exists and there is no official or standard format.

Source: Spanish Royal Decree 109/2010 (repeals Royal Decree 202/2000 on food handlers; in Spanish), sole repealing provision · AESAN, information note on food handler training (2013, in Spanish), point 2

2. Who must ensure that food handlers are trained for their job?Only the workerThe food businessThe town councilAESAN, course by course

Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires food business operators to ensure their food handlers are supervised and trained «in line with their work activities».

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter XII

3. Does a food handler training certificate expire?Yes, after 4 yearsYes, every yearYes, after 2 years if you work in a kitchenNot by law, but the business must regularly review and update your knowledge

Expiry of certificates, division by sector and high/low risk categories all disappeared; regular updating is the business's responsibility.

Source: AESAN, information note on food handler training (2013, in Spanish), point 4

4. A training centre advertises its course as «approved by AESAN». What does AESAN say?Training centres need no approval and may not claim to be approved by AESAN or the MinistryOnly approved courses are validApproved courses never expireOnly face-to-face courses count

Since Royal Decree 202/2000 was repealed, training providers need no approval or authorisation and may not state that they are authorised or approved by the Ministry or by AESAN.

Source: AESAN, «Food handlers» · AESAN, information note on food handler training (2013, in Spanish), point 1

5. Food contaminated with dangerous bacteria…Always smells badAlways changes colourCan look, smell and taste normalCan always be spotted when you cut it

AESAN points out that microbial contamination, even when heavy, need not be noticeable. Looks are not enough.

Source: AESAN, «Preventing food poisoning» (WHO golden rules, in Spanish)

6. Which of these is a physical hazard?Salmonella bacteriaA piece of glass in a dishTraces of bleachGluten

Physical hazards are foreign objects: glass, plastic, metal, staples, hair. Salmonella is biological, bleach is chemical and gluten is an allergen.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter IX, point 3

7. Anisakiasis is caused by…A parasite that may be present in fishA bacterium in milkA virus in vegetablesA cleaning product

Anisakis is a parasite. AESAN lists it with trichinellosis as an example of parasitic disease.

Source: AESAN, «Preventing food poisoning» (WHO golden rules, in Spanish) · AESAN, Anisakis campaign (in Spanish)

8. You have diarrhoea and work in a kitchen. What do you do?Work wearing glovesTake something and carry on workingOnly say something if it lasts more than three daysTell the business straight away: you must not handle food while there is a risk of contaminating it

Anyone with diarrhoea, infected wounds, skin infections or sores must not handle food if there is a risk, and must report the illness or symptoms to the business immediately.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter VIII, point 2

9. What does Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 require regarding work clothing?It must be whiteSuitable, clean and, where necessary, protective clothingYou must bring it from homeNothing: everyone wears what they like

Everyone working in a food-handling area must maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and wear suitable, clean and, where necessary, protective clothing.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter VIII, point 1

10. What must washbasins for hand washing have?Cold water onlyOne cloth towel for the whole teamHot and cold running water and materials for cleaning and drying hands hygienicallyNothing special: the vegetable sink will do

The regulation requires washbasins for hands with hot and cold running water and materials for hygienic cleaning and drying; where necessary, separate from those for washing food.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter I, point 4

11. You have just taken payment from a customer and are about to serve a tapa. What do you do?Pick it up with my handWipe my hand on my apronServe it and wash my hands at the end of the shiftWash my hands or serve it with a clean utensil

AESAN asks for hands to be clean at all times and washed whenever necessary. Money and card machines pass through many hands.

Source: AESAN, «Preventing food poisoning» (WHO golden rules, in Spanish), rule 7

12. According to AESAN, what temperature should the centre of food reach when cooked?50 °C60 °C for 10 seconds70 °C for at least 2 minutesIt is enough for the surface to be golden

The temperature must be high enough for the centre of the product to reach at least 70 °C for at least 2 minutes.

Source: AESAN, «Preventing food poisoning» (WHO golden rules, in Spanish), rule 2

13. Under Royal Decree 1086/2020, prepared food that is not served straight away is kept…Hot at 63 °C or above, or cold at 4 °C or below (8 °C if its shelf life is under 24 hours)Between 20 and 40 °CAt room temperature until closing timeAt around 10 °C

Article 30 sets 63 °C or above for hot holding and, when chilled, 4 °C or below if the shelf life is over 24 hours or 8 °C or below if it is shorter.

Source: Spanish Royal Decree 1086/2020, Article 30: requirements for prepared meals (consolidated text, in Spanish), Article 30(2) and (3)

14. What is the right way to thaw food?On the worktop at room temperatureIn a way that minimises risk, for example in the cold room, draining the liquid if it may be a riskUnder hot tap waterIn the sun, it's quicker

The regulation requires thawing in a way that minimises the growth of microorganisms and draining the resulting liquid when it may be a risk.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter IX, point 7

15. The bar makes its own anchovies in vinegar (boquerones). What must be done with the fish?Nothing: the vinegar makes it safeWash it well with waterKeeping it in the fridge at 4 °C is enoughFreeze it first at −20 °C for 24 hours (or −35 °C for 15 hours)

Vinegar does not kill Anisakis. The rules require fish that will be eaten raw or undercooked to be frozen, and the establishment must say that it has been frozen.

Source: AESAN, Anisakis campaign (in Spanish) · Spanish Royal Decree 1021/2022, hygiene in retail, bars and restaurants (consolidated text, in Spanish), Article 8

16. What is the difference between a «use by» and a «best before» date?They are the sameAfter the «use by» date the food is not considered safe; «best before» shows how long it keeps its qualities«Best before» is stricterNeither has any legal effect

After its «use by» date a food is not considered safe. The date of minimum durability («best before») is the date until which the food keeps its properties when properly stored.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Articles 2(2)(r) and 24

17. What is cross-contamination?A hazard passing from raw food, a dirty surface or a utensil to another foodMixing two sauces on the same plateCooking two dishes at the same timeFreezing a food twice

Cooked food can be contaminated again by contact with raw food or with objects that have touched it: knives, boards, surfaces, cloths.

Source: AESAN, «Preventing food poisoning» (WHO golden rules, in Spanish), rule 6

18. How should cleaning products be stored?In empty water bottles, to reuse themNext to the spices, within reachLabelled, in separate and securely closed containersIt doesn't matter if they're rarely used

Hazardous or inedible substances must be labelled and stored in separate and secure containers.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter IX, point 8

19. What happens to kitchen waste?It is removed as quickly as possible and kept in closable containersIt is only emptied at closing timeOpen bins are used because they're quickerIt is left next to the work table

Food waste must be removed from rooms where food is present as quickly as possible and placed in closable containers.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter VI

20. You see mouse droppings in the store room. What do you do?Sweep them up and say nothingTell the manager: the business must apply pest control proceduresPut poison next to the foodWait and see if it happens again

The regulation requires adequate pest control procedures. Reporting it is what makes it possible to act in time.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter IX, point 4

21. How many allergens that must be declared are listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011?8101420

There are 14 substances or products causing allergies or intolerances, from gluten to molluscs.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Annex II

22. Which of these is NOT one of the 14 allergens that must be declared?LupinCeleryMolluscsTomato

Lupin, celery and molluscs are on the Annex II list; tomato is not.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Annex II

23. In a bar, a customer asks whether a dish contains nuts. What do you do?Tell them bars don't have to give that informationCheck the dish's allergen information and, if I'm not sure, I don't say it's safe and I askAnswer «I don't think so»Tell them to try a little

Allergen information is mandatory for food served unpackaged as well.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Article 44 · AESAN, «Labelling of substances causing allergies and intolerances» (in Spanish)

24. How do allergens appear on prepacked food?In the list of ingredients, emphasised with a different font, style or background colourIn small print at the end of the labelOnly on the manufacturer's websiteThey don't need to be shown

Allergens are emphasised in the list of ingredients; if there is no list, the word «contains» is used.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Article 21

25. You have cooked prawns in a frying pan. Can you use it for a dish without crustaceans?Yes, straight awayOnly if the customer hasn't said they're allergicOnly after cleaning it and checking there are no visible tracesNever again

Since Regulation (EU) 2021/382, equipment used with an allergen is not used for food without it unless it has been cleaned and checked, at least for the absence of visible traces.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter IX, point 9 · Regulation (EU) 2021/382 (allergens, food redistribution and food safety culture)

26. Battered fish is fried in the fryer. What about chips fried afterwards in the same oil?They contain nothing, hot oil cleans everythingIt only matters for coeliacsChips never contain allergensThey may contain fish and gluten: this must be reflected in the allergen information, or another fryer used

The oil and the fryer are equipment that has been in contact with fish and flour. Whatever is fried afterwards may carry traces, and the allergen information must say so.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter IX, point 9 · Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Article 44

27. What does HACCP (APPCC in Spanish) stand for?Hazard Analysis and Critical Control PointsHospitality Approval and Certified Cooking ProceduresHealth Authority Control of Catering PremisesHygiene Audit of Cold Chain Points

It is the food safety management system that every food business must put in place, implement and maintain.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Article 5

28. Your employer asks you to record the cold room temperature every morning. What is it for?Nothing, it's just paperworkSo the worker can be finedTo show that checks are done and to correct in time anything outside the limitOnly big factories need it

HACCP includes monitoring, corrective actions and documents and records suited to the nature and size of the business.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Article 5

29. The «food safety culture» required since 2021 includes…Just putting up posters in the kitchenCommitment from management and all staff, open communication (including about what goes wrong) and enough resourcesOne course a year and nothing elseHaving a food handler card

Added by Regulation (EU) 2021/382: commitment, leadership, awareness of hazards, open and clear communication including about deviations, and sufficient resources.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter XIa · Regulation (EU) 2021/382 (allergens, food redistribution and food safety culture)

30. You see a colleague serving a dish without checking the allergy the customer mentioned. What do you do?Keep quiet, it's not my tableMention it to the customer when they finishMake a note for myselfSay so immediately, to the colleague or the manager, before the customer eats

A food safety culture requires open and clear communication between all employees, including communication of deviations.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter XIa, point 1(d)

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This is a training certificate, not an «official card»: that card has not existed in Spain since 2010 (Royal Decree 109/2010). It shows what you have studied; the employer decides whether it is enough and adds training for your specific job.

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Final test: Food handler and allergens

Final test: 30 questions

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