June 23, 2010

A new restaurant food safety grading system will be implemented in New York City starting in late July, with letter grades displayed in restaurant windows.

New York City's Health Department recently announced new rules and procedures for posting letter grades in restaurant windows that reflect practices and conditions related to food safety. These measures are intended to better inform consumers about restaurants' sanitary conditions and motivate restaurant operators to meet the highest standards in food safety.  

According to the Health Department, letter grading could help reduce food-borne illness by encouraging better food safety practices. Los Angeles, which instituted a letter grading system more than 10 years ago, saw the percentage of restaurants meeting the highest food safety standards rise from 40 percent to more than 80 percent, while hospitalizations for food-borne illnesses declined by 20 percent.

Press Release. (NYC Health Dept.)