A batch of house-made chicken salad is prepared on a Monday and held at 40°F. Counting Monday as day 1, on which day must it be discarded if not used?
a.The following Sunday (day 7)
b.The following Monday (day 8)
c.That same Wednesday (day 3)
d.Never, as long as it stays cold
Explanation
Ready-to-eat TCS food held at 41°F or below may be kept a maximum of 7 days, counting the preparation day as day 1, so chicken salad made on Monday must be discarded by the end of the following Sunday (day 7). The following Monday is day 8, one day past the limit; discarding it that same Wednesday (day 3) is far stricter than the Code requires and wastes safe food; and 'never' is wrong because Listeria monocytogenes keeps growing slowly at 40°F.
Law Reference: FDA Food Code §3-501.17Practice all 500 questions free — no signup required.
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