Food Safety Officer recruitment (state PSCs and FSSAI) · India · State public service commissions; FSSAI for central posts
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersQuality systems, statistical process control, sampling inspection and running an accredited dairy laboratory.
In the exams: ICAR AICE subject 34 Unit 9, subject 35b Unit 1 and subject 36 Unit 6
FSSAI Food Analyst and Junior Analyst; state Food Safety Officer recruitment
Laboratory management and accreditation (NABL and ISO/IEC 17025), method validation terms (LOD, LOQ, recovery, repeatability), measurement uncertainty, laboratory safety and chemical handling, sampling plans for official samples, and shelf-life and date marking.
How our questions for Food Safety Officer recruitment spread across the units of Quality Assurance, Statistical Quality Control & Laboratory Management. Difficulty: 8 easy, 4 medium, 3 hard.
| Acceptance sampling plans | 6 | |
| Laboratory set-up, safety and chemical management | 5 | |
| Shelf-life determination | 3 | |
| ISO/IEC 17025 and laboratory accreditation | 1 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
A single sampling plan inspects n = 50 bags of powder from a large lot and accepts if c ≤ 1 defective bag. Using the Poisson approximation, what is the probability of accepting a lot that is 2% defective?
B. 0.736
λ = np = 50 × 0.02 = 1; Pa = e⁻¹(1 + 1) = 0.736. 0.368 is P(0) only; 0.264 is the probability of rejection; 0.920 is P(≤2).
Further reading: ISO 2859-1; Montgomery, Introduction to Statistical Quality Control
In acceptance sampling, the producer's risk is the probability of:
B. Rejecting a lot whose quality is at the AQL
Producer's risk (α) is the chance a good lot, at the AQL, is rejected; it is often designed at about 5%. Accepting a lot at the LTPD is the consumer's risk (β).
Further reading: ISO 2859-1; Montgomery, Introduction to Statistical Quality Control
The consumer's risk in an acceptance sampling plan is the probability of:
A. Accepting a lot at the limiting quality, the LTPD
Consumer's risk (β) is the probability of accepting a poor lot at the LTPD (limiting quality), often designed at about 10%. Rejecting a lot at the AQL is producer's risk.
Further reading: ISO 2859-1; Montgomery, Introduction to Statistical Quality Control
How do ISO 2859-1 and ISO 3951 differ?
D. ISO 2859-1 is for attributes; ISO 3951 is for variables and assumes normality
ISO 2859-1 (from MIL-STD-105) gives attribute plans indexed by AQL; ISO 3951 (from MIL-STD-414) gives variables plans, which need smaller samples but assume a normal distribution of the characteristic.
Further reading: ISO 2859-1; Montgomery, Introduction to Statistical Quality Control
How many standard sections does a GHS safety data sheet contain?
A. 16
The GHS safety data sheet has sixteen sections, from identification and hazard identification through handling, exposure controls and disposal to regulatory and other information.
Further reading: UN Globally Harmonized System (GHS)
When preparing a dilute acid in the laboratory, the safe practice is to:
A. Add the acid slowly to the water with stirring
Adding acid to water lets the large volume of water absorb the heat of dilution. Adding water to concentrated sulphuric acid can boil locally and spatter acid.
Further reading: Standard laboratory safety practice
Which storage arrangement is correct for a dairy laboratory?
A. Oxidisers kept away from flammable solvents, acids apart from bases
Chemicals are stored by compatibility: oxidisers away from flammables and organics, acids apart from bases, solvents in flammable-storage cabinets, and concentrated acids low down in secondary containment. Alphabetical storage can place incompatible chemicals together.
Further reading: Standard laboratory safety practice; GHS
What is the key difference between laboratory accreditation and ISO 9001 certification?
A. Accreditation attests technical competence for specified tests
Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 assesses competence for each test in the laboratory's scope; certification attests that a management system meets ISO 9001. Accreditation involves on-site assessment and does not require prior certification.
Further reading: ISO/IEC 17025:2017
Short shelf life of HTST pasteurised milk with Gram-negative spoilage flora usually points to:
C. Post-pasteurisation contamination in filling or pipework
Gram-negative psychrotrophs such as Pseudomonas are killed by correct pasteurisation, so their presence in packed milk indicates recontamination after heating. Heat-resistant spore-formers are the typical limit in well-sealed systems.
Further reading: Walstra et al., Dairy Science and Technology
Ten here, 15 in the app. The Laisha app has every practice question we have written to Food Safety Officer recruitment in this subject, marked as you go, with timed papers, a jump-to-unanswered list and a certificate when you pass at 70 per cent.
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