County Department of Health explores new food facility grading system

Program would place color-coded placards at local restaurants
Sonoma County’s Department of Health Services, Environmental Health and Safety has proposed a new grading system to encourage food safety at local restaurants, catering services and other local retail food facilities. As of July 1, 2015, the system would place color-coded placards at all retail food facilities in Sonoma County, displaying the results of the facility’s most recent inspection.
The term “retail food facility” includes both permanent and non-permanent entities where food is sold, such as restaurants, markets, schools, community events and mobile food vendors. However, the placarding system is designed for permanent food facilities, according to Christine Sosko, who is the county’s director of Environmental Health & Safety, and would not include facilities that are considered to be of lower risk, such as small markets that do not engage in food preparation.   
With the proposed placards, officials intend to both promote food safety within the industry and help consumers easily determine safe locations to eat. Placards are distributed in three colors, each representing the results of the facility’s most recent inspection: with green indicating a “pass,” yellow indicating “conditional” and red indicating “closed.”
“The system as a whole is promoting awareness and compliance,” said Dr. Karen Holbrook, who is the deputy health officer with Sonoma County. “And we’re wanting to enhance visibility by increasing the visibility of food safety standards. Ultimately, we hope customers will experience less foodborne illness in the food industry and will thrive in an arena in which food safety is recognized.”
Currently, Sonoma County adheres to state regulations that require all food facilities to post a notice indicating that their most recent inspection is available upon request. A publically posted grading system is not currently in place in Sonoma County.
“We were looking at our program and looking to improve the food safety awareness, increase consumer confidence and also create a highly visible information system for the public and the color-coded placarding system aligns with our regional partners,” Sosko said. Nearby counties have already implemented a color-coded grading system, she added, including Sacramento County, which received a Crumbine Award in 2008 in recognition of the excellence of its food protection services.
Alameda County is also currently in the process of rolling out its own color-coded placarding system, according to Sosko.  
When receiving a yellow or “conditional” pass, restaurants may have violations that occurred during routine inspections, but were corrected at the time of the inspection, according to Sosko. The department would return within 72 to re-inspect the facility, at which point it could receive a green placard.
Upon receiving a red, or “closed,” a restaurant has what the department consider an “imminent threat to health and safety,” she said. Officials would follow up within 72 hours to make sure the violation has been corrected.
Green placards also outline previous inspections that facilities have received, so that consumers may know the both the date of previous inspections and their outcomes.
The Department of Health Services, Environmental Health & Safety will host informational meetings for the public and industry members throughout September. For north county residents, a meeting will be held in Healdsburg on Sept. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the City Hall Council Chamber (401 Grove St.).
“We’re looking to make sure (the community) is aware of it,” Holbrook said. “For them to voice concerns and support. We want them to know about what’s coming. We think they will wholeheartedly support it, but if they don’t, we want to know why, and see if there’s anything that we could and should be doing to modify it based on their input.”
Following the community meetings, the plan will be brought before the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in the late fall. A soft rollout will occur in January 2015, after which the department has arranged for a training program to educate industry members. Placards will be posted on July 1, 2015. The department also proposes to implement an interactive website with mapping capabilities and a display of inspection results, as well as a smart phone application.   
For more information on upcoming meetings and the new grading system, visit www.sonoma-county.org/placards or call the Department of Health Services, Environmental Health & Safety at (707) 565-6565.