What is the EFST exam?
The Essential Food Safety Training (EFST) programme is the mandatory food safety course for every food handler in Abu Dhabi. It is run by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) under Food Law No. (2) of 2008. You finish with a test on the Ghars platform, and a score of 70% earns the certificate.
The exam format
| Who must take it | All food handlers working in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi |
|---|---|
| Run by | ADAFSA, under Food Law No. (2) of 2008 and Resolution No. (6) of 2020 on food hygiene |
| Curricula | Catering, Manufacturing, Retail and Animal Production, chosen by your establishment's registered activities |
| Languages | Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu and Malayalam |
| Training | At an ADAFSA approved training centre (more than 10) or through the Ghars learning platform |
| Exam | Taken through Ghars or at an approved testing centre (two in 2025) |
| Pass mark | 70% or higher |
| Attempts | Two; after a second fail you must repeat the training |
| Certificate | Valid 5 years from issue, downloaded from Ghars with your Emirates ID |
| Questions, time and fee | Not published by ADAFSA; your training centre will confirm them |
When your certificate expires you can apply for the test directly, without repeating the course. If you fail, you must take the training before you retest. Handlers with an advanced food safety qualification (at least Level 5) can ask ADAFSA to be exempted from training, but they still sit the exam.
Abu Dhabi's figures are not the same as Dubai's. ADAFSA's published hygiene regulation sets hot holding at 63°C or above and a cooking core temperature of at least 70°C for two minutes, while Dubai's Food Code uses 60°C and 75°C. Our questions use the Abu Dhabi figures. They come from ADAFSA's English hygiene regulation (No. 6 of 2010) and its 2019 retail code. The current legal instrument is Resolution No. (6) of 2020, so check any figure with your training centre.
What the exam covers
- Food safety hazards: biological, chemical and physical hazards, and potentially hazardous food
- Personal hygiene and fitness to work: handwashing, cuts, protective clothing, reporting illness
- Temperature control: below 5°C, minus 18°C, 63°C hot holding, 70°C cooking and the two-hour rule
- Cross-contamination and allergens: raw and ready-to-eat food, halal separation, allergen cross-contact
- Cleaning and pest control: detergent then disinfectant, chemical storage, signs of pests
- Receiving, storage and display: delivery checks, first in first out, expiry dates
- HACCP and food safety management: the seven principles and written procedures
- Abu Dhabi law and EFST rules: curricula, attempts, validity and traceability
Free official resources, and what we add
ADAFSA publishes the EFST FAQs, the programme requirements and the list of approved training and testing centres free on its website, and training is delivered through Ghars. There is no official bank of practice questions. Our 113 questions are original, grouped into 8 topics, and every explanation names the ADAFSA document or Codex principle it is based on.
How to prepare
- Learn the Abu Dhabi numbers: below 5°C, minus 18°C, 63°C, 70°C for two minutes and the two-hour limit between 5°C and 63°C.
- Know what to do when chilled food reaches 5°C to 8°C, and when it goes above 8°C.
- Learn every time you must wash your hands, and which symptoms you must report.
- Learn the seven HACCP principles in order.
- Practise one topic at a time, then take timed mock exams.
- Read the explanation for every question you get wrong.
Practice questions with answers
Tap a question to see the correct answer and explanation.
A piece of broken glass found in a salad is which type of hazard?
- Physical
- Chemical
- Biological
- Allergenic
Answer: A, Physical. Foreign objects such as glass, hair or packaging are physical contaminants. Biological hazards are bacteria, viruses and parasites, and chemical hazards include cleaning residues and pesticides. Source: ADAFSA Code of Practice No. 29 of 2019, Food Hygiene for Retail Business, section 3.1.1.
Which item must a food handler not wear while handling food?
- A hair net
- A clean apron
- Jewellery
- A beard cover
Answer: C, Jewellery. Food handlers must avoid behaviours that may contaminate food, including wearing jewellery, smoking, spitting, chewing, eating and coughing or sneezing over uncovered food. Source: ADFCA Regulation No. 6 of 2010, Food Hygiene Throughout the Food Chain, Article 28.
At or below what temperature must frozen food be kept?
- Minus 5°C, the same as a normal chiller
- Minus 18°C
- 0°C, the freezing point of water
- Minus 10°C for all frozen products
Answer: B, Minus 18°C. Frozen food must be kept at or below minus 18°C. Source: ADFCA Regulation No. 6 of 2010, Food Hygiene Throughout the Food Chain, Article 30(b).