Free Dubai PIC Exam Flashcards

1) Conduct a hazard analysis, 2) Determine critical control points (CCPs), 3) Establish critical limits, 4) Establish monitoring procedures, 5) Establish corrective actions, 6) Establish verification procedures, 7) Establish documentation and record-keeping. Skipping any principle leaves a gap in the food safety management system.

A step in the food process where control can be applied and is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level - for example, the cooking step for raw chicken. Losing control at a CCP creates unacceptable risk, unlike a general good-practice step.

A PRP is a foundational hygiene practice - such as a cleaning schedule, pest control contract, or staff training - that supports food safety generally. A CCP is an essential control step that targets one specific identified hazard. PRPs make the HACCP plan workable; CCPs are its critical safeguards.

The maximum or minimum value - such as a temperature, time, or pH - that must be met at a CCP to keep a hazard under control. Cooking chicken below the required 75°C, for example, means the critical limit has been breached and the food is unsafe until corrective action is taken.

Monitoring is the real-time, routine check of a CCP, such as taking a probe temperature during cooking (Principle 4). Verification is a later check confirming the whole system is working as designed, such as auditing temperature logs or calibrating thermometers (Principle 6).

Continue cooking until the core reaches the required temperature (or a validated time-temperature equivalent), then record the corrective action taken. The food must not be served or hot-held until the critical limit is actually met.

The predefined step taken immediately when monitoring shows a critical limit has been breached - for example, discarding food, extending cooking time, or repairing faulty equipment. Corrective actions must be documented under HACCP Principle 5.

Biological (bacteria, viruses, parasites), chemical (cleaning agents, pesticide residues), physical (glass, metal, bone fragments), and allergenic (proteins that trigger allergic reactions). Missing any one category leaves the hazard analysis incomplete.

Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen, Moisture - the six conditions bacteria need to grow. Controlling even one factor, such as keeping food out of the temperature danger zone, can prevent dangerous bacterial growth.

Records - temperature logs, cleaning schedules, training records - are the evidence a PIC uses to demonstrate active managerial control during a Dubai Municipality inspection. Verbal assurance that a control was followed is not accepted as proof; documentation is Principle 7.

To identify every biological, chemical, physical, and allergenic hazard reasonably likely to occur at each step of the food process, so the business knows which steps genuinely need control measures. It is the foundation the rest of the HACCP plan is built on.

Whenever the menu, supplier, equipment, or process changes. A static plan that ignores a new high-risk ingredient or a new supplier no longer reflects the real hazards present in the kitchen.

A step needs a CCP if a significant hazard is reasonably likely to occur there and no later step will control it. If a later step - such as cooking - will eliminate the hazard, the earlier step usually does not need a separate CCP of its own.

By periodically calibrating thermometers against a known reference, auditing temperature logs for recurring problems, and confirming that recorded corrective actions were actually completed - verification checks the whole system, not just today's single reading.

The hazard analysis must be redone for the new product and supplier before it is used, to identify any new biological, chemical, physical, or allergenic hazards it introduces and to update critical limits or CCPs as needed.

5°C to 60°C - the range in which most food-poisoning bacteria multiply fastest. High-risk food must be kept below 5°C or above 60°C, and any time it spends within this range must be minimized.

75°C for at least 30 seconds, or a validated equivalent time-temperature combination such as 70°C for 2 minutes. This destroys the harmful bacteria typically present in raw meat, poultry, and seafood.

60°C for 45 minutes, 65°C for 10 minutes, and 70°C for 2 minutes are commonly used equivalents to the 75°C/30-second standard - lower cooking temperatures require proportionally longer holding times to achieve the same bacterial kill.

It must exceed 75°C, reached within 1 hour of starting the reheat, to destroy any bacteria that grew during cooling or storage. Reheating should happen only once - food should never be re-cooled and reheated a second time.

60°C or above. Below this, the food is back in the temperature danger zone and bacteria can begin multiplying again, even though the food was cooked correctly earlier.

Cool from 60°C to 20°C within 2 hours, then from 20°C down to 5°C within a further 4 hours - 6 hours total. If cooling stalls past these windows, the food has spent too long in the danger zone and should be discarded, not carried through to the next stage.

Reject the delivery and record the rejection. Accepting stock that has already broken the cold chain before it even reaches storage risks accepting unsafe food.

-18°C or below. This halts bacterial growth rather than merely slowing it, which is why frozen storage is used for long-term holding while chilled storage is used for short-term, active-use stock.

In a refrigerator with air temperature at or below 10°C, or submerged in cold running water below 21°C - in both cases the food's core must be at or below 5°C once thawed. Thawing at room temperature risks the surface sitting in the danger zone long before the centre defrosts.

Within 48 hours, provided it is kept at or below 5°C throughout. Thawed food does not carry the same shelf life it had while frozen.

They must be excluded from all food handling duties until at least 48 hours after symptoms have completely stopped, because they can still shed infectious organisms, such as norovirus, after they start to feel better.

A blue, waterproof, detectable dressing, ideally with a metal strip, so it is instantly visible if it falls into food and can be located with a metal detector in processing settings.

Rings, bracelets, and watches can harbour bacteria in crevices, can physically fall into food, and can catch on equipment. Where local rules permit an exception, it is usually limited to a plain wedding band.

Nails must be kept short, clean, and unpolished with no false nails, and hands must be washed with soap and warm water at key points - before handling food, after using the toilet, and after touching raw food or waste.

Between handling raw food and ready-to-eat food, whenever gloves become torn or contaminated, and at regular intervals during a task. Gloves are not a substitute for hand washing and can spread bacteria just as bare hands can if reused across tasks.

Sanitiser reduces bacteria but does not physically remove dirt, grease, or organic material the way washing with soap and water does, and it is not reliably effective against some pathogens such as norovirus. It supplements hand washing rather than replacing it.

Norovirus - a highly contagious virus causing vomiting and diarrhoea that spreads via contaminated hands, surfaces, and food. It is a key reason behind the 48-hour symptom-free exclusion rule.

It must be kept clean, worn only within the food preparation area, and changed if it becomes contaminated. Walking outside the kitchen in food-prep whites - to a bin area or the street, for example - can bring contamination back into food areas.

The PIC is accountable for implementing, monitoring, and maintaining the establishment's food safety management system every day - not for personally performing every task, but for ensuring the system is actually followed.

Standard PIC Certification covers standard-risk food businesses. Advanced PIC Certification is required for high-risk or specialised operations and adds a dedicated HACCP module on top of the core PIC content.

It is valid for 5 years, but the PIC should complete refresher training before the end of year 3 to keep their food safety knowledge current and remain compliant with Dubai Municipality requirements.

The PIC must be able to demonstrate - through records, direct explanation, and observed practice - that food safety controls such as temperature checks, cleaning, and staff training are actually being carried out, not just that a written policy exists.

It is Dubai Municipality's digital system (relaunched as DMChecked in 2025) for food business registration, inspection results, and food safety reporting, supporting communication and traceability between food establishments and the regulator.

The PIC must be able to trace ingredients one step back to the supplier and one step forward to where the food was sent or served, so that if a safety issue is found, the affected product can be located and recalled quickly.

Cleaning removes visible dirt and grease using detergent and hot water. Disinfecting reduces bacteria to a safe level using a chemical or heat treatment. A surface must be cleaned before it is disinfected - disinfectant cannot work reliably through grime.

It is the length of time a disinfectant must stay wet on a surface, as stated by the manufacturer, to actually kill bacteria. Wiping it off too soon leaves the surface looking clean but still contaminated.

Cleaning spills, utensils, and surfaces continuously throughout service, rather than leaving all cleaning until the end of the day. This prevents cross-contamination and pest-attracting mess from building up during service.

In a separate, clearly labelled, secure storage area away from food, food-contact surfaces, and food preparation areas, to prevent accidental chemical contamination of food.

A use-by date is a safety deadline - the food must be discarded after it passes, even if it looks and smells fine. A best-before date is a quality indicator only; food may still be safe to eat after that date, just not at its peak quality.

Potable, drinking-quality water only. Using non-potable water for food, ice-making, or cleaning food-contact surfaces is a direct violation of the Dubai Food Code.

Smooth, impervious, and easily cleanable materials, such as stainless steel. Porous or damaged surfaces trap food debris and bacteria and cannot be reliably disinfected.

Allergen proteins are not destroyed by heat the way most bacteria are, so even fully cooked food can trigger a severe allergic reaction if it contains, or was cross-contacted with, an allergen. Unlike bacterial cross-contamination, cooking does not neutralize this hazard.

Raw meat must be stored below ready-to-eat food, typically on the bottom shelves, so that any drips or juices cannot fall onto food that will not be cooked again before it is eaten.

Droppings, gnaw marks on packaging or structures, and grease smears along walls or skirting boards where rodents repeatedly travel. Any of these signs should trigger an immediate investigation.

Stop using that area, isolate and protect any unaffected food, and contact a licensed pest control contractor. Attempting DIY chemical treatment near food is not an acceptable substitute for a licensed pest management programme.