What does the acronym FATTOM stand for in HACCP?

• A. Food composition, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen, Moisture
• B. Food, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen
• C. Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen, Pressure
• D. Food, Water Activity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen, Moisture

Answer: (A)

FATTOM identifies the six conditions that allow microorganisms to grow in food. It stands for Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen, Moisture. This option reflects all six factors, with Food pointing to the nutrient base that microbes use, Acidity (pH) shaping which organisms can thrive, Time and Temperature together governing growth rate, Oxygen indicating whether aerobes or anaerobes can grow, and Moisture (water activity) providing the available water for metabolic processes. The phrasing here uses Food composition, which essentially conveys the same idea of the food’s nutrient content, while the other factors match the standard list. The other choices misstate or omit one or more factors (for example, introducing Pressure or replacing Acidity with Water Activity as the sole moisture concept), so they don’t align with what FATTOM encompasses.