Beginning early next year, Contra Costa County is hoping to start using a color-coded grading system to let you know the cleanliness of your favorite food establishment, according to Supervisor Karen Mitchoff.
“After researching how a food grading system works and how it is being implemented in other jurisdictions and working with local restaurateurs to design the system, early next year Environmental Health staff plans to recommend to the Board of Supervisors the implementation of a color-coded food grading system,” Mitchoff said.
Mitchoff’s office says under this new system, food operators will be required to display the color-coded grade in a prominent location inside their establishment. The grade essentially rates food safety practices on a color-coded scale, as opposed to the letter system used in some locations, according to Mitchoff.
Ratings will be assigned to all of the county’s roughly 4,000 food establishments, including restaurants, food trucks, cafeterias, and other food vendors.
The new grading system will consist of three colors:
Green, Yellow, Red, which will be issued after the regular food safety inspection by the Contra Costa County Health Inspector.
Green: Indicates no or one major violation of food safety. The major violation has to be corrected while the inspector is there.
Yellow: Means two or more major violations of food safety. Major violations have to be corrected while inspector is there.
Red: An imminent health hazard (a major violation that can not be corrected while the inspector is there) results in a closure. An imminent health hazard includes sewage back-up, rat or cockroach or vermin infestation, no hot water, no electricity.
This new grading system will provide consumers increased confidence about the establishments they choose to patronize. It will also hold restaurateurs accountable for complying with food safety practices and hopefully in turn reduce the number of violations issued by health inspectors, according to Mitchoff.
“We are excited to have this food safety system be implemented in our county as it provides a more efficient way to communicate to the public the food safety status of the facility. This system will also assist in preventing the risk and spread of food-borne illness,” Mitchoff said.
Information provided by our colleagues at Claycord.com
