HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 11291988 - 2.8 � I
TO `'"'`BOARD OF SUPERVISORS "''
FROM Mark Finucane , Health Services Director
Contra �
Costa
DATE: October 7 , 1988 Courty
SUBJECT: PROPOSED RESTAURANT GRADING SYSTEM FOR CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND Alm JUSTIFICATION
I . RECOMMENDED ACTION :
Accept report from the Health Services Director
regarding a restaurant grading system for Contra Costa
County .
II . FINANCIAL IMPACT :
None .
III . BACKGROUND :
This report is in response to your directive of July
19 , 1988 requesting information on current restaurant
grading programs in other governmental jurisdictions .
The positive aspects in support of establishing a
restaurant grading system to provide consumer notice
include :
-Provides an indication to the public of the general
state of compliance of each restaurant with Health &
Safety Code requirements at the time of our last
inspection ;
-Provides an incentive for restaurant owners and
operators to continuously comply with health and
sanitation requirements since the public may refuse to
patronize a restaurant with a posted rating other than
the highest grade ;
-Managers of degraded restaurants may remedy violations
more rapidly to restore the higher rating and minimize
the loss of patronage ;
-Encourages a greater degree of continuous compliance
with those health and sanitation regulations that
directly break the chain of food-borne disease
transmission by more heavily weighting the grading
point losses for such violations .
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT; X YES SIGNATURE; )LZ
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR - RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE i OTHER
SIGNATURE(S):
ACTION OF BOARD ON November 29, 1988 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER X
i
CONTINUED discussion of status report relative to' an inspection system for
Contra Costa County restaurants.
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES. AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT; ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE /DATE SHOWN.
cc-. County Administrator ATTESTEDHealth Services Director PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
Environmental Health Director SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
BY DEPUTY
M382/7-83 \,
Implementing a grade card or rating system to provide
consumer notice must provide the following grading
program elements at a minimum to be effective and
avoid potentially misleading the public :
-Substantial initial public education effort to inform
consumers of the grading systems purpose and how to
interpret the meaning of the various rating cards .
-An objective scoring and inspection documentation
program is essential to provide consistent and uniform
restaurant evaluations .
-An effective follow-up inspection policy must be
maintained to assure that violations are corrected in
a timely manner .
-Restaurant owners and operators must be fully
informed of the grading sytem policies and consequen-
ces and have recourse to timely review in those cases
where they believe their establishment has been
degraded unfairly ;
-Close supervision and monitoring of restaurant
inspections to assure that the grading is conducted in
conformance with division policy .
In Contra Costa County , restaurants are inspected
comprehensively for compliance with Health $ Safety
Code requirements . The large majority of restaurants
in our county have maintained substantial compliance
with sanitation requirements over the years .
There are model grading programs for restaurants with
years of implementation experience to provide advice
and guidance in establishing a grading system for
restaurants in Contra Costa County if your Board so
directs . San Diego County has operated an effective
grading system for many years with a well informed and
supportive public .
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