What is the grading system? In 1997, there began to be a trend of media reports that told of restaurants having poor health conditions. The surprising thing was that all of the restaurants reported on had just passed the inspection that checked these very elements. This led LA County to re-evaluate its current health inspection policy for restaurants and how they prepare food. These results include the following: - Health inspection letter grades given by a qualified inspector* - Restaurant requirement to post these grades in a visible location - Scheduled inspections by the county - Adoption of the new ordinances by cities within the county Overall, these changes created a simple identification for consumers to be informed of the level of health standards that the restaurant is following. This also provided a way for restaurants to be held accountable for their standards, and gave them a reason to live up to the health code regulations. "The goal of the grading system is to protect the public's health by reducing the incidence of food-borne illness in the county" (J.E. Fielding, personal communication, January 28, 2008). *Grades consisted of either an A, B, C, or just a numerical score if below a C. |
 Link to the Los Angeles Counties Public Health Departments website: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/rating/ |
