California eFoodHandlers Practice Exam

What action should be taken with food that has been in the danger zone for over 2 hours?

1. Refrigerate the food to cool it down

2. Discard the food

3. Use it for cooking immediately

4. Serve it if re-heated properly

The correct answer is: Discard the food

Food that has been in the danger zone, which is typically defined as between 41°F and 135°F, poses significant risks for foodborne illness. When food is left in this temperature range for more than 2 hours, it allows harmful bacteria to multiply rapidly. The safest action in this scenario is to discard the food. This prevents the risk of serving food that could cause health issues due to bacterial growth. It's essential to adhere to food safety guidelines to ensure public health, and once food has been compromised by staying too long in a hazardous temperature zone, its safety cannot be guaranteed. Refrigerating, cooking immediately, or reheating the food do not eliminate the risks associated with food that has potentially been contaminated by bacteria for an extended period. Therefore, the recommended and safest practice is to discard the food to avoid any health risks.