Give each restaurant a grade
Allegheny County residents should know more about the food they eat
We are very lucky in Allegheny County to have seen a surge in new restaurants and an emerging “foodie culture” that rivals many larger cities nationwide. Every year, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that roughly one in six Americans (48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.
We are not immune from this public health problem in Allegheny County. In January alone, 50 complaints were made to the Health Department, and our latest rate of salmonella infection is higher than in 2009 and exceeds the CDC goal for 2020. The department’s Food Safety Program inspects, monitors and investigates complaints at approximately 9,000 food facilities, and 20 percent of them have had at least one highrisk violation on initial inspection which could lead to food-borne illness.
On May 5, the Board of Health’s Food Facility Grading System will go before Allegheny County Council for a vote. In approving the system last September, the board stated that such a system would improve the transparency of the inspection system for the public and provide a quick understanding of how a restaurant performed at its last inspection. It also said a grading system would improve food safety by giving restaurants a significant incentive to adhere to safe food practices and decrease the number of recurrent inspections needed.
Restaurant industry critics have argued vehemently against this proposal, even after numerous meetings and collaborative efforts to address their concerns while also meeting the goals of the Board of Health. Among other arguments, they have claimed that the grading system would have no impact and therefore is unnecessary.
According to a study published last month in the American Journal of Public Health, evidence suggests otherwise. Examining New York City’s letter-grade program, the peer-reviewed study concluded that unannounced inspections had found that grading had resulted in improved sanitary conditions.
More importantly, the study suggested that the program is an effective regulatory tool. It found that, three years after starting the new system, restaurants had notable improvements in compliance with requirements, including being pestfree and having a certified kitchen manager on site.
Researchers also found that 91 percent of residents approved of the program and 88 percent considered grades when making a decision about where to eat. High grades reassured diners about food safety and made them feel more confident in a restaurant, while low grades caused them to worry about getting sick from eating at a restaurant.
Zagat’s “The State of American Dining in 2015” found that the average person eats out 4.5 times a week, not counting breakfast. It is imperative that food facilities in Allegheny County use safe food-handling and sanitation practices at all times. The prospect of having to display a poor grade gives restaurants and other food establishments added incentive to strictly follow the rules and move quickly to correct deficiencies.
For the Allegheny County Health Department and its Board of Health, protecting county residents and promoting their health and well-being is not just a mission, but a directive. It is one that we take seriously, and it is why we have advocated so strongly for a food-facility grading system that helps our residents make informed decisions.
We hope county council agrees and votes in favor of the Food Facility Grading System.