About the hygiene passport test
What the passport is
The hygiene passport (hygieniapassi) is required after three months of work handling unpackaged easily perishable food in a food premises. It is valid until further notice, and a paper certificate or a plastic card proves it. It cannot be obtained on the basis of a qualification, only by passing the test.
The test
- 40 true/false statements (Oikein/Väärin) on paper, in a supervised room, with a tester approved by Ruokavirasto. There are no remote or electronic tests.
- At least 34 correct answers are needed, so up to six mistakes are allowed. A blank or unclear answer counts as wrong, and wrong answers do not give negative points.
- You have 45 minutes, and you may leave no earlier than 20 minutes after the start.
- The test can be taken in Finnish, Swedish or English. The statements are practical and about activity in a food premises.
Six areas
| Area | Topic | Lessons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basic microbiology and contamination | 1 to 3 |
| 2 | Food poisoning and hygienic work practices | 4 to 7 |
| 3 | Personal hygiene | 8 and 9 |
| 4 | Cleaning | 10 and 11 |
| 5 | Own-check | 12 and 13 |
| 6 | Legislation and authorities | 14 and 15 |
Each lesson contains sections marked with the Annex 1 outcome number (for example 4.1). The test follows the same areas, with about 10, 12, 6, 6, 3 and 3 statements from areas 1 to 6.
How to study
- Read one lesson at a time. Start with the "Why it matters" part, then the main points, then the scenario.
- Learn the "Numbers to remember" tables. Many statements test a temperature, a time or a deadline.
- Read the "Myth vs reality" lists. The false statements in the test are usually built from myths like these.
- After each lesson, take its quiz. Explanations show why an answer is true or false.
- Before the test day, do several simulated exams under the real conditions: 40 statements, 45 minutes, 34 correct to pass.
On the test day
Bring an original, valid photo ID, because a photocopy is not accepted, and a ballpoint pen that is not black. A pencil is not allowed. You write your full name and personal ID number (or date of birth if you have none) on the form. Using a phone or cheating means the test is failed and not assessed. The tester informs you of the result at the latest one month after the test.
What microbes are and where they occur
Outcome. FI: Henkilö tietää mitä mikrobit ovat ja missä niitä esiintyy. EN: The person knows what microbes are and where they occur.
Why it matters
Every rule in this course exists because of microbes. You cannot see them, so hygiene has to be a habit, not a reaction to visible dirt.
What to know
A microbe (mikrobi) is a living organism too small to see with the naked eye. There are four groups: bacteria (bakteerit), fungi (sienet), which include moulds (homeet) and yeasts (hiivat), viruses (virukset) and protozoa (alkueläimet). Microbes are found practically everywhere: in soil, water, air, plants, animals and people. Human skin always has microbes, even when it is clean and healthy. Most are harmless. A few cause harm, and you cannot tell them apart by looking.
Microbes reach food with dirt and dust, on hands, tools and surfaces, and in droplets from coughing and sneezing. Cross-contamination (ristikontaminaatio) is the transfer of microbes, or of non-food substances, from one food to another, directly or indirectly, for example through hands or equipment. It is usually not visible, so contaminated food cannot be picked out by eye.
Bacteria multiply by dividing in two, and in favourable conditions their number grows exponentially. Some bacteria form spores (itiöt), a survival form that resists heat and dryness better than ordinary cells. Spores are not a way of multiplying. Viruses do not multiply in food, because they need a living host. Parasites (worms and protozoa) do not multiply in food either.
Scenario
The dishwasher breaks and a stack of dirty plates stands until the afternoon. The food residue gives microbes nutrients, the plates are moist and often at a suitable temperature, so microbes multiply quickly. Dirty dishes must be washed promptly.
Remember
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Microbe groups | bacteria, fungi (moulds and yeasts), viruses, protozoa |
| Skin | always has microbes |
| Cross-contamination | transfer from one food to another, directly or through hands and equipment |
| Spore | survival form of some bacteria, not a way of multiplying |
Myth vs reality
- Myth: If food looks clean, it is safe. Reality: Contamination is usually invisible, so you cannot spot it by looking.
- Myth: Clean, healthy skin has no microbes. Reality: Human skin always has microbes.
- Myth: Microbes get into food only from the raw materials. Reality: They also arrive with dirt, dust, hands, tools and air.
In the test
Watch for absolute words. "Skin always has microbes" is true; "microbes come only from raw materials" and "you can see whether food is contaminated" are false.
The harm microbes cause in food work
Outcome. FI: Henkilö tietää mitä haittaa mikrobeista on elintarviketyössä. EN: The person knows what harm microbes cause in food work.
Why it matters
Microbes spoil food, which costs money, and they can make people ill. In food work one mistake with hands or temperature can make many strangers sick.
What to know
Spoilage microbes make food go off: souring, sliming, mould. Disease-causing microbes can make people ill, and the food may look and smell normal. Food poisoning (ruokamyrkytys) means an infection or poisoning acquired through food or drinking water. It is mostly caused by bacteria, viruses or toxins made by microbes, but parasites, poisonous plants and fungi, and chemicals can also cause it. A food poisoning outbreak means at least two people fell ill with a similar illness after the same food or water, and that food or water was the cause.
Not all toxins made by microbes are destroyed when food is heated above +60 °C. The enterotoxin of Staphylococcus aureus is very heat-resistant: heating kills the bacteria but not the toxin already formed. Mould toxins (mycotoxins) are not destroyed by heating or processing either. Only a few EHEC bacteria are enough to cause infection. Bacteria such as EHEC spread from the surface of meat through the whole mince during grinding, so a medium-cooked beef patty can cause food poisoning. Wounds and damaged skin can carry S. aureus into food.
Risk groups are children under school age, pregnant people, older people and people whose immunity is weakened by serious illness.
A worker can spread disease without symptoms. Norovirus can pass from an employee to food even with no symptoms, and it can be shed in faeces for one to three weeks after diarrhoea ends. After a norovirus illness a food worker stays away from work at least two days after the symptoms end. Carriers of HIV, hepatitis B or C, MRSA or ESBL are not barred from food work by carriage alone, but must observe very careful hand hygiene.
Some diseases are classified in law. EHEC disease, hepatitis A and Salmonella disease are generally hazardous (yleisvaaralliset) communicable diseases. Botulism, listeriosis and echinococcosis are monitored (valvottavat) communicable diseases. Even one suspected case of botulism must be reported promptly, like a suspected food poisoning.
Scenario
A kitchen assistant feels well but had a stomach bug last week. She makes sandwiches for a meeting of forty people, and twelve guests fall ill. Norovirus can still be shed after the diarrhoea has stopped. This is a food poisoning outbreak, and the kitchen must notify the municipal food control authority.
Numbers to remember
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Outbreak | at least 2 people, same food or water |
| Toxins and heat | some survive above +60 °C |
| Norovirus, time off work | at least 2 days after symptoms end |
| Norovirus shedding | 1 to 3 weeks after diarrhoea ends |
| EHEC dose | only a few bacteria |
Myth vs reality
- Myth: Heating above +60 °C destroys all toxins. Reality: Some toxins, such as that of S. aureus, survive.
- Myth: A worker with no symptoms cannot infect food. Reality: Norovirus and other agents can be spread without symptoms.
- Myth: A medium-cooked beef patty is safe. Reality: Ground beef can carry EHEC through the whole patty.
In the test
Statements about a worker returning to work, or about heating removing toxins, are usually false when they sound too easy. Remember the two days off after norovirus and that some toxins survive heating.