Ontario Food Handler Certification Practice Exam

How should you clean different areas and equipment to ensure proper sanitation?

1. Scrape and rinse with cold water

2. Use hot water and cleaning chemicals, rinse with hot water, then sanitize with hot water

3. Wipe with a dry cloth

4. Use soap and room temperature water

The correct answer is: Use hot water and cleaning chemicals, rinse with hot water, then sanitize with hot water

Using hot water and cleaning chemicals, rinsing with hot water, and then sanitizing with hot water is the most effective method for maintaining proper sanitation in food handling environments. This approach ensures that not only are surfaces cleaned of food particles and debris, but they are also subjected to high temperatures that can kill pathogens and viruses. Hot water combined with cleaning agents effectively breaks down oils, fats, and other residues that cold water alone cannot manage. After cleaning, rinsing with hot water helps remove these contaminants, while the final sanitization step, also using hot water, further reduces the microbial load, ensuring that surfaces are safe for food preparation. This method aligns with best practices in food safety and sanitation standards, making it crucial for operators in food handling to follow such procedures to safeguard public health.