Michigan Food Safety Management Practice Test

What is true about food held at 135°F?

1. It can be reheated at any time

2. It must be time marked

3. It must be stored indefinitely

4. It can be cooled and reheated multiple times

The correct answer is: It must be time marked

Food held at 135°F must be time marked to ensure that it stays within safe temperature parameters for the prevention of foodborne illness. This temperature is often a holding temperature for hot food products, meaning that food should not remain at this temperature indefinitely. Time marking helps to monitor how long food has been kept at that temperature, allowing food safety managers to decide when food should be discarded to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria that can occur if food is held too long. Holding food at the appropriate temperature and marking the time it has been held ensures that it can be safely served or consumed. In contrast, the other options suggest practices that do not align with food safety protocols. For example, food cannot be stored indefinitely at this temperature as it poses a risk of bacterial growth over time. Additionally, while food can be reheated, it must be done following safety guidelines rather than at any time without consideration for how long it has been held. Cooling and reheating food multiple times can also lead to safety concerns, making it important to comply with established safety standards and monitoring practices.