Issue View | Council I | 2016 Biennial Meeting
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Issue Number: Council I 048
Issue History
This issue was submitted for consideration at a previous biennial meeting, see issue: 2012 I-038 ; new or additional information has been included or attached .
Title
Inclusion of Inspection Result Posting in Food Code
Issue you would like the Conference to consider
Rigorous health inspections are a critical component of an effective food safety system. The 2013 FDA Food Code recognizes that the results of restaurant inspections are public documents and should be available for public review. However, complex rules regarding public access create difficulty for consumers who wish to consider inspection results.
Public Health Significance
Consumer access to the results of these inspections plays an important role in maintaining the efficacy and credibility of the inspection system, and allows consumers to consider critical food safety information when making restaurant choices. Recent data show that nearly half of all foodborne illnesses are contracted from food prepared outside the home. Although food establishments are routinely inspected, the results of those inspections are not readily available to consumers-who thus have no way of minimizing their risk by knowing how an establishment performed on its most recent food safety assessment. This proposal was submitted previously to CFP and since that time, numerous jurisdictions have adopted requirements for restaurants to post inspection results and published articles highlighting this practice's benefits to public health (see supporting attachments to this Issue).
Recommended Solution: The Conference recommends...
that a letter be sent to the FDA requesting that a new section be added to the 2013 Food Code as follows (language to be added is underlined):
8-4 Inspection and Correction of Violations
8-403.51 Public Posting.
The REGULATORY AUTHORITY shall make available the results of the inspection report by requiring the timely posting of the most recent inspection results in the entrance, front window, or similarly prominent consumer-accessible area of the FOOD ESTABLISHMENT. Results may be posted in the form of a letter grade, numerical score, or other form as determined by the REGULATORY AUTHORITY.
Supporting Attachments
- "Letter Grading and Transparency Promote Restaurant Food Safety in New York" (1) (2015)
- "Study of Retail Food Establishment Inspection Scoring and Grading Systems" (2) (2014)
- "Impact of a Letter-Grade Program on Restaurant Sanitary Conditions (Part I)" (3) (2015)
- "Impact of a Letter-Grade Program on Restaurant Sanitary Conditions (Part 2)" (4) (2015)
- "Poster: Feasibility of Restaurant Letter Grading in Utah" (5) (2015)
Submitter Information
Name | David W. Plunkett |
Organization | Center for Science in the Public Interest |
Address |
1220 L Street NW Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005 |
Telephone | 2027778319 |
dplunkett@cspinet.org |