Certified Professional Food Safety (CP-FS) Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Prepare for the CP-FS Exam. Study with flashcards and multiple choice questions with detailed explanations. Ace your exam with confidence!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

What does the acronym FATTOM stand for?

Food, Additives, Temperature, Time, Oxygen, Moisture
Food, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen, Moisture
Fats, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen, Minerals
Fats, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Organics, Moisture

The correct answer is: Food, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen, Moisture

The acronym FATTOM stands for Food, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen, and Moisture. This concept is essential in food safety as it describes the six factors that affect the growth of foodborne pathogens. Food is the nutrient source that bacteria need to grow. Acidity refers to the pH level of the food; most pathogens thrive in a neutral pH range (6.6 to 7.5). Temperature indicates that foods within certain temperature ranges (41°F to 135°F) can foster pathogen growth. Time is the duration that food spends in the danger zone temperature range, which allows bacteria to multiply. Oxygen is a factor for certain pathogens that require it for growth, while moisture represents the water activity level; pathogens typically need a certain level of moisture to flourish. By understanding FATTOM, food handlers and safety professionals can implement measures to control these factors and reduce the risk of foodborne illness effectively.