A sealed, commercially processed ready-to-eat soup is reheated for hot holding. What must it reach?Answer: At least 135°F. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-403.11(C) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Black beans are kept on a steam table through lunch. What is the lowest temperature allowed?Answer: 135°F. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-501.16(A)(1) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Cooked food is delivered hot. What is the coldest it may be when received?Answer: 135°F. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-202.11(D) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Counting from 135°F, how long does cooked food have in all to cool to 41°F or less?Answer: 6 hours. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-501.14(A)(2) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Frozen grouper fillets are thawed submerged under a running tap. How warm may the water be?Answer: 70°F or below. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-501.13(B)(1) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
How long may reheating for hot holding take to pass from 41°F to the required temperature?Answer: No more than 2 hours. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-403.11(D) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Show all 79 questions (73 more)
Cooking, cooling and holding, continued
Kitchen-made potato salad goes into the cooler. After how long in the establishment does it need a date mark?Answer: More than 24 hours. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-501.17(A) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Leftover rice is reheated in a microwave for hot holding. After it reaches 165°F, what follows?Answer: It stands covered for 2 minutes. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-403.11(B) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Sliced tomatoes sit in the cold well of a sandwich line. What is the warmest they may be held?Answer: 41°F. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-501.16(A)(2) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Time alone is the control, with no cooling or reheating. How long after food leaves temperature control must it be served or discarded?Answer: Within 4 hours. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-501.19(B)(3) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Under the 2017 edition Florida adopts, how long must chicken be held at 165°F?Answer: Less than 1 second (instantaneous). Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-401.11(A)(3) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Under the 2017 edition Florida adopts, what must a hamburger patty reach when cooked?Answer: 155°F for 17 seconds. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-401.11(A)(2) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
What must a fish fillet reach when cooked under the 2017 Food Code?Answer: 145°F for 15 seconds. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-401.11(A)(1) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Handwashing and hygiene 10
A cook arrives in yesterday's stained chef coat. What does the 2017 Food Code expect of outer clothing?Answer: That it be clean. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, § 2-304.11 (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A cook finishes trimming raw chicken and turns to slicing tomatoes for salads. What comes between the two tasks?Answer: Washing the hands. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-301.14(G) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A cook returns from the restroom. What must happen before going back to food preparation?Answer: The hands are washed. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-301.14(B) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A Florida line cook has a bandage on a finger. What does the 2017 Food Code require while working with exposed food?Answer: The bandage is covered with a single-use glove. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, § 2-401.13 (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A prep cook wears artificial fingernails. What makes working with exposed food allowed?Answer: Wearing intact gloves in good repair. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-302.11(B) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Beyond food safety for their duties, what must the person in charge make sure employees are trained in?Answer: Food allergy awareness. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-103.11(N) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
During handwashing, how long are the lathered hands rubbed together?Answer: At least 10 to 15 seconds. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-301.12(B)(3) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
How must a food employee's natural fingernails be kept?Answer: Trimmed, filed and maintained so they are cleanable and not rough. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-302.11(A) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
What are hair restraints for under the 2017 Food Code?Answer: Keeping hair from contacting exposed food and clean equipment. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-402.11(A) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Where may an employee eat or use tobacco in a food establishment?Answer: Only in designated areas where contamination cannot result. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-401.11(A) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Employee illness 10
A barista keeps sneezing and has a runny nose. May the barista make drinks?Answer: No. Not while working with exposed food or clean utensils. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, § 2-401.12 (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A cook has an infected cut on a finger. What lets the cook keep working with food?Answer: An impermeable cover with a single-use glove over it. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-201.11(A)(1) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A cook reports diarrhea at the start of a shift. What does the person in charge do?Answer: Excludes the cook from the establishment. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-201.12(A)(1) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A cook was excluded for vomiting with no diagnosis. How long must the cook be free of symptoms before reinstatement?Answer: At least 24 hours. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-201.13(A)(1) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A Florida dishwasher has one of these before work. Which one goes to the person in charge?Answer: Sore throat with fever. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-201.11(A)(1) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A new hire has a job offer but has not started. Must the new hire report a Norovirus diagnosis?Answer: Yes. Conditional employees must report too. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-201.11(A) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A prep cook lives with a relative just diagnosed with hepatitis A. What must the cook do?Answer: Report it to the person in charge. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-201.11(A)(5) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
An employee was excluded for jaundice. Whose approval does the person in charge need before reinstating the employee?Answer: The regulatory authority's. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-201.13(B) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
The division suspects a food service employee may be passing on a disease. Whom does it consult at once?Answer: The state health officer or designee. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-4.010(4)
How must employees be told of their duty to report illness to the person in charge?Answer: In a verifiable manner. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 2-103.11(O) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Protecting food 12
A Caesar dressing recipe calls for raw eggs and will not be cooked. What must be used instead?Answer: Pasteurized eggs or egg products. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, § 3-302.13 (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A cooler holds raw ground beef and a pan of cooked rice. What does the 2017 Food Code require?Answer: The raw beef is kept separate from the cooked rice. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-302.11(A)(1) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A Florida restaurant serves raw oysters. What must it display?Answer: A consumer information notice on the risk of raw oysters. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-4.010(9)
A menu offers burgers cooked rare on request. How must guests be informed of the risk?Answer: By a disclosure and a reminder. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-603.11(A) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A suspected foodborne illness outbreak is reported at a restaurant that uses bare hand contact. What does the division do?Answer: Temporarily enforces no bare hand contact. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-4.010(1)(e)
Between customers, where may the dipper for hard-packed ice cream rest?Answer: In running water that flushes particles to the drain. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-304.12(D) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
How is food on a self-service salad bar protected from guests' coughs and hands?Answer: By food guards, display cases or packaging. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, § 3-306.11 (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
How many times may a cook taste the soup with one spoon?Answer: Once. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, § 3-301.12 (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Raw fish and raw poultry are prepped at one small station. How does the code keep one from contaminating the other?Answer: Each type is prepared at a different time or in a separate area. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 3-302.11(A)(2) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Rule 61C-4.010 lists three things for the label of food a restaurant packages for sale. Which is one of them?Answer: The date the product was packaged. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-4.010(1)(c)
When may Florida food service employees touch ready-to-eat food with bare hands?Answer: With a written alternative operating procedure approved by the division. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-4.010(1)(d)
Which food needs no label under rule 61C-4.010?Answer: Food placed in a carry-out box for the customer. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-4.010(1)(c)
Cleaning and sanitizing 10
A guest finishes a meal with a plastic fork and leaves it on the tray. May the fork be washed and given out again?Answer: No. Single-use articles may not be reused. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 4-502.13(A) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A hot-water dish machine sanitizes by heat. What temperature must the utensil surface reach?Answer: 160°F. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 4-703.11(B) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A prep table has been washed and rinsed. What step is still owed before food touches it?Answer: Sanitizing. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, § 4-702.11 (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
A slicer has been used on raw beef. When must it be cleaned before it slices cooked ham?Answer: At the change from raw food to ready-to-eat food. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, ¶ 4-602.11(A)(2) (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
How warm must water be to count as "hot water" in the division's rules?Answer: 100°F or above. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(16)
What must a Florida establishment have ready for a vomiting or diarrheal event in the dining room?Answer: Written procedures for employees to follow. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, § 2-501.11 (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
What must a Florida public food service establishment provide in the employee bathroom?Answer: Soap and clean towels or other approved hand-drying devices. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.221(5)
Where are cleaners and other poisonous or toxic materials stored?Answer: Where they cannot contaminate food, equipment or utensils. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, § 7-201.11 (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Where must handwashing signs be posted under rule 61C-1.004?Answer: In each bathroom used by employees. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.004(2)(c)
Which cleaning tool may not touch cleaned and sanitized food-contact surfaces?Answer: A sponge. Source: FDA Food Code 2017, § 4-101.16 (adopted by Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12))
Florida's training law and the division 24
A power outage may keep potentially hazardous food from safe temperatures. What must the person in charge do?Answer: Immediately notify the division. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-4.010(1)(b)
A server pets a patron's dog in the designated outdoor area. What must the server do?Answer: Wash hands promptly. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.233(3)(c)
A third-party provider certifies a restaurant's employees. Who receives the original certificate for each employee?Answer: The public food service establishment. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.049(6)(a)
Do Florida's state standards for food service employee training include an examination?Answer: No. The statute says they shall not include one. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.049(1)
For how long does a Florida food service employee's training certification remain valid?Answer: 3 years. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.049(5)
For how long is a Florida food protection manager certificate valid?Answer: Five years. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-4.023(1)
How long after employment does a Florida food service manager have to pass the required test?Answer: 30 days. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.039
How many employees must be working with food at one time before a certified manager has to be present?Answer: Four or more. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-4.023(1)
How may patrons' dogs be allowed in a designated outdoor part of a Florida restaurant?Answer: Under a local government ordinance and its permit. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.233(1)
How soon after employment must a Florida food service employee receive certification?Answer: Within 60 days. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.049(5)
To whom must an operator make the latest food service inspection report available?Answer: To the division at inspection and to the public upon request. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.101(1)
Under section 509.213, what must the sign posted for employees illustrate?Answer: The Heimlich Maneuver for a choking victim. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.213(1)
What do Florida's rules call an item the Food Code defines as a Priority Item?Answer: A High Priority Item. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(15)
What does the division post on an establishment whose license is suspended or revoked?Answer: A prominent closed-for-operation sign. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.261(3)
What is the most the division may fine an establishment that cannot show proof of employee training?Answer: $1,000. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.049(8)
What must a student submit at the end of an online (interactive distance learning) employee training course?Answer: A statement of personally completing each module. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-4.023(4)(d)
When must a Florida establishment give the division proof of employee training?Answer: Upon request, including at any division inspection. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.049(5)
Which agency does chapter 509 mean by "the division"?Answer: The Division of Hotels and Restaurants. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.013(1)
Which edition of the FDA Food Code do the division's rules adopt?Answer: The 2017 Food Code. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-1.001(12)
Which of these is part of the proof of training kept for each Florida food service employee?Answer: The employee's date of birth. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.049(5)
Which two subjects must all Florida public food service employees be trained on?Answer: Professional hygiene and foodborne disease prevention. Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 61C-4.023(4)(a)
Who regulates the training and testing of personnel in Florida's public food service establishments?Answer: The state; the matter is preempted to it. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.032(7)(a)
Whom may a public food service establishment designate to train its food service employees?Answer: Any certified food service manager. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.049(5)
Whose duty is it to provide training to the food service employees of a Florida restaurant?Answer: The public food service establishment's. Source: Fla. Stat. § 509.049(5)
How this list was compiled: Florida Statutes, chapter 509, sections 509.013, 509.032, 509.039, 509.049, 509.101, 509.213, 509.221, 509.233 and 509.261, on the Florida Legislature's site (https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500-0599/0509/0509.html); Florida Administrative Code rules 61C-1.001, 61C-1.004, 61C-4.010 and 61C-4.023, on the Department of State's rules site (https://www.flrules.org/gateway/RuleNo.asp?id=61C-4.023 and the same address for each rule number); and the FDA Food Code 2017, which rule 61C-1.001(12) adopts by reference (https://www.fda.gov/media/110822/download). All read on October 13, 2026. Each question names the section it was written from. Licence: Own work. Every question, every wrong choice and every explanation was written for this site from the section it cites. Short phrases are quoted from the Florida Statutes, the Florida Administrative Code and the FDA Food Code, which are public. Nothing is taken from any training provider's course, any certification examination or any other practice test.
How it works
This unofficial Florida food handlers practice test asks 79 questions on the 2017 FDA Food Code and Florida's training law, each answer naming its section. Not affiliated with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Read the full guide
Is there a Florida food handlers test?
Not in state law. Section 509.049 has the Division of Hotels and Restaurants set training standards for food service employees that "shall not include an examination". An employee is trained through an approved program within 60 days of hire. Managers are different: they pass a certification test within 30 days.
What this Florida food safety practice test asks
Fifty-five questions ask what the training itself covers: hygiene, illness, cooking, cooling and cleaning under the 2017 Food Code, where ground beef cooks to 155°F for 17 seconds. Twenty-four ask Florida's law: who trains whom, proof of training, and the certified manager on duty once four employees handle food.
Bare hands may touch ready-to-eat food only under a written alternative operating procedure the division has approved.
Florida calls the Food Code's Priority, Priority Foundation and Core items High Priority, Intermediate and Basic.
Questions and answers
Do you need a food handlers card in Florida?
Employees of restaurants the division licenses need food safety training from an approved program. A third-party provider gives the employee a card and the establishment a certificate, and the restaurant must show proof on request.
Is there a test at the end of Florida food handler training?
Not one the state requires. Rule 61C-4.023 says online training must not require passing an examination: the student submits a statement of having personally completed each module.
How long is Florida food handler training good for?
Three years. Section 509.049(5) says certification remains valid for 3 years. A food protection manager's certificate is valid for five years under rule 61C-4.023(1).
Is this the real Florida food handlers test?
No. These are our own questions from the public text of the statutes, the rules and the Food Code. None comes from any training provider's course or any manager examination, and a score here counts toward nothing.
Who regulates food handlers in Florida?
For restaurants, the Division of Hotels and Restaurants of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Section 509.032(7) leaves training and testing of personnel to the state. Stores permitted by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services fall outside chapter 509 and this page.