50 questions · one test · 70% (35/50) to pass · ~60 minutes
About the test
The Food Handler Certification test is a 50-question, multiple-choice exam requiring 70% (35/50) to pass, with about 60 minutes to complete it. It’s a single continuous test — unlike the G1, there’s no split into separate sections. In Ontario, food premises must have at least one certified food handler on site during hours of operation under Ontario Regulation 493/17 (Food Premises), and training must come from a local board of health or a program the Ministry has recognized as equivalent. Certificates are valid for five years and are accepted by all 34 Ontario public health units.
The subject matter is national, so this quiz works across Canada. The one exception is British Columbia, which uses FOODSAFE Level 1 — the same food safety content under a different provincial program name.
ExamHub’s free practice quiz has 150 original questions, checked against Health Canada’s safe internal cooking temperatures and priority allergen list, Ontario Regulation 493/17, and Ontario public health unit standards for manual dishwashing and sanitizer concentrations.
Canadian figures, not American
Most food handler practice tests online are written for the American ServSafe exam, and several of their answers are simply wrong for a Canadian test. Health Canada requires 82°C for whole poultry where the US standard is 74°C, and 70°C for fish where the US standard is 63°C. Canada’s priority allergen list has 11 items and includes mustard and sulphites, neither of which appears on the US list.
Every numeric answer in this bank — cooking temperatures, the danger zone, two-stage cooling times, sanitizer concentrations in ppm, contact times, and storage heights — is taken from a Canadian source, not converted from an American one.
What’s covered
Try a few
Six real questions pulled from the full bank, with the answer already shown — for the timed, no-peeking version, use the quiz above.
Why: Between 4°C and 60°C bacteria multiply rapidly. Keep cold food at or below 4°C and hot food at or above 60°C. This single range underpins most of the exam.
Why: Health Canada specifies 82°C (180°F) for whole poultry, measured in the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone. Poultry pieces require 74°C. This differs from the US standard — use the Canadian figure.
Why: Six hours total, with the critical first stage in two hours. The first stage matters most because bacterial growth is fastest at the upper end of the danger zone.
Why: 100 ppm chlorine at 24°C, with items soaked at least 45 seconds. Quaternary ammonium is 200 ppm and iodine is 25 ppm. Too weak fails to sanitize; too strong is a chemical hazard.
Why: Eggs, milk, mustard, peanuts, crustaceans and molluscs, fish, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, tree nuts, and wheat/triticale. Canada includes mustard and sulphites, which the US list does not.
Why: Raw poultry goes on the bottom because it requires the highest cooking temperature and its drips are the most hazardous. Ready-to-eat food always goes above raw.
FAQ
50 multiple-choice questions, with about 60 minutes to complete them. It's a single continuous test — there are no separate sections.
70% — that's 35 out of 50 questions correct.
Under Ontario Regulation 493/17 (Food Premises), food premises must have at least one certified food handler on site during hours of operation. Training must be delivered by a local board of health or through a program the Ministry has recognized as equivalent.
Five years. After that you renew by completing the certification course again. Certificates from approved providers are accepted by all 34 Ontario public health units.
Yes. Food safety content is national, so it applies across Canada. The exception is British Columbia, which uses FOODSAFE Level 1 — the same subject matter under a different provincial program name.
Canadian, and this matters. Health Canada requires 82°C for whole poultry and 70°C for fish, where US practice tests commonly list 74°C and 63°C. Canada's priority allergen list also has 11 items and includes mustard and sulphites, which the US list does not.
No. These are original questions written by ExamHub and checked against Health Canada guidance, Ontario Regulation 493/17, and Ontario public health unit standards. They cover the same material but aren't copies of actual exam questions.
No. All 150 questions are free, with no account or signup required.