Word: kleine
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...title suggests, if you are of the ignorance-is-bliss camp when it comes to restaurant dining, you might be advised to stop reading now - there is a sizable "ick" factor to the CSPI's findings. Klein and her team sought the most recent routine reports from 30 restaurants in each of 20 cities the CSPI selected across the U.S., analyzing 539 reports in total. They revealed the gamut of infractions, from mold growing in ice machines (in a restaurant in Atlanta) to live cockroaches skittering across kitchen cutting boards (in Pittsburgh, Pa.). The reports cited violations in restaurants...
...Klein thinks restaurants still have a long way to go. She says they aren't motivated to set a very high safety bar, noting that a restaurant may commit violations that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would classify as most critical - improper holding temperatures, poor employee hygiene, food bought from unsafe sources, food that is not thoroughly cooked or food surfaces that are not properly disinfected - without much fear of being shut down. Even violations that involve rat infestations or unwell employees (restaurant workers tend not to get paid sick days) may not lead to closure. "Restaurants only...
...some cites are doing things right, Klein says, and setting a constructive example. Ten years ago, Los Angeles County implemented a grade-card system that requires restaurants to display letter grades given to them by health inspectors. Restaurants that score 90 or above on the 100-point health-inspection measure receive an A; those that score 80 to 89 receive a B; and so forth. The program, which Las Vegas and St. Louis, Mo., have since adopted, has been well-received by consumers. Surveys suggest that most diners notice the grade cards, approve of the system overall and feel convinced...
...moment, says Klein, this kind of health-inspection information isn't very easily accessible in all locales. In many cities, such as New York City, Chicago and Denver, restaurant-inspection reports are available online. In others, like San Francisco and Atlanta, restaurants keep their reports on-site and give them to the customer upon request. But some cities, including Pittsburgh and Washington, share inspection results only through Freedom of Information Act requests - which is not very useful for the consumer unless he's planning dining reservations months in advance...
Amid the report's stomach-churning details, however, one vote of confidence: Klein still dines out. "You gotta eat," she says. "I take my chances, and look for the obvious signs - like mice or the fact that the water in the bathroom doesn't get hot - that indicate a problem in the back of the house. I mean, if someone has a sloppy living room, chances are, there are dirty dishes in their sink...