 New Food Safety
Rating System is here!
Starting in January, 2017 a restaurant’s food safety rating
will be displayed on a sign on a restaurant’s window. The signs will provide
information that will help consumers know how well a restaurant practices food
safety.
Restaurants will be rolled into the new system in
four phases based on zip code.
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Phase one – January, 2017
Orange portion of the map
Seattle - north of I90, Shoreline, and Lake Forest Park area
98101, 98102, 98103, 98104, 98105, 98107, 98109,
98111, 98112, 98113, 98114, 98115, 98117, 98119, 98121, 98122, 98125, 98133,
98139, 98145, 98154, 98155, 98164, 98177, 98195 and 98199.
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Phase two – April, 2017
Purple portion of the map
Seattle – south of I90, Vashon, Bellevue, Mercer Island, New Castle and Renton area
98004, 98005, 98006, 98007, 98008, 98009, 98015, 98039, 98040, 98055, 98056,
98057, 98058, 98059, 98070, 98106, 98108, 98116, 98118, 98124, 98126, 98134,
98136, 98144, 98146, 98168 and 98178.
Phase three – July 2017
Green portion of the map
Bothell, Woodinville, Kirkland,
Redmond, Issaquah, Skykomish, Carnation, Duvall and Kent area
98010, 98011, 98014,
98019, 98022, 98024, 98025, 98027, 98028, 98029, 98030, 98031, 98032, 98033,
98034, 98035, 98038, 98041, 98042, 98045, 98050, 98051, 98052, 98053, 98064,
98065, 98072, 98073, 98074, 98075, 98077, 98083, 98089, 98224, 98288.
Phase four – October 2017
Blue portion of the map
Auburn, Burien, Federal Way, Normandy Park and Tukwila area
98001, 98002, 98003,
98023, 98047, 98063, 98092, 98093, 98138, 98148, 98158, 98166, 98188, 98198,
98354, 98422.
Restaurants will receive their window sign as they
are routinely inspected throughout 2017.
What
you need to know.
- The inspection process and food safety practices we
look for will remain the same. What is
new is that at the end of each routine inspection, your business will receive
one of four food safety ratings. See below for more information about the four
rating categories.
- Your rating will be on your inspection report and on
a sign that will be posted at your restaurant.
- Window signs will be posted in a location that is
easy for the general public to see. This means the signs are posted on the
restaurant’s window or within five feet of the restaurant’s main entrance. Every
restaurant space is different, so you and your inspector can work together to
find a good place at your restaurant to post the sign.
- The food safety rating is updated after each
routine inspection. Restaurants in King County are inspected on average 1-3
times per year. You can improve your rating by practicing good food safety
every day. See below for more information on how to practice good food safety.
- Risk 1, 2 and 3 food establishments are now
included in the new rating system.
- Everyone has the right to appeal their rating.
You can submit a request to appeal an inspection within 10 business days of
when the inspection report was sent to you.
- The Food Program will evaluate the new rating
system to see if it works for our communities. As part of this evaluation, some
restaurants will receive observational inspections to look for food safety
practices. The inspector will tell you at the beginning if you are receiving
this kind of inspection. These inspections will have no impact on your food
safety rating or restaurant inspection history.
Here is more information about the new Food Safety Rating System
Food Safety Rating Categories
 What is behind a restaurant’s rating?
A restaurant’s food safety rating is determined by three
main parts:
-
Trend of
food safety practices over time. Good food safety needs to be practiced
every day. The food safety rating window signs will reflect how well a
restaurant has performed over time, not just on a single inspection. A
restaurant’s food safety rating will be determined by the average of red
critical violation points from a restaurant’s last four routine inspections.
-
Scale of
performance. King County residents want to know more than if a restaurant
passes or fails an inspection. The restaurant window signs will show how well
the restaurant practices food safety beyond meeting the minimum standard to be
open.
-
Rating on
a curve. Consumers tend to dine locally by their zip code or area. Rating
on a curve provides accurate and useful information to consumers about how well
a restaurant performs on food safety compared to restaurants nearby. Also,
Restaurants within an area tend to have the same food inspector. Our inspectors
go through extensive training and all focus on food safety. Even with the training, they may still have
slightly different inspection styles. Rating on a curve helps compensate for
differences in inspection rating style. Each restaurant’s average score is
compared with other restaurants within the same zip code or area. The rating on
a curve applies to the top 3 categories. Here is the approximate breakdown of
the percentage of restaurants that fall into each category:
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What is a red critical violation?
Red critical violations are food handling practices that,
when not done properly, are most likely to lead to food borne illness.
If you would like food safety training for your restaurant,
you may request one educational inspection from Public Health - Seattle &
King County per year. To request an educational inspection contact: Dr. Damarys
Espinoza at Damarys.espinoza@kingcounty.gov,
Office: 206-263-8583 or Cell: 206-940-9545.
Read more about the new Food Safety Rating System on our blog Public
Health Insider.
Media Interest
Due to the amount of attention and interest in the new rating system
your restaurant may be contacted by the media to talk about the new rating
system and restaurant window signs. It is your decision whether or not to talk
to the media. If you do not want to talk to the media, you can tell them to
talk to us instead by giving them this contact information:
Public Health – Seattle &
King County Communications Team
Carley Thompson
carley.thompson@kingcounty.gov
or 206 477-3058
Media interest may affect you as your zip code is rolled into the new
system.
This winter, we will hold community meetings with restaurant
owners and the public to give updates on the new Food Safety Rating System.
Details are coming soon.
If you have questions about the new Food Safety Rating
System or upcoming community meetings contact: Dr. Damarys Espinoza at Damarys.espinoza@kingcounty.gov
, Office: 206-263-8583 or Cell: 206-940-9545.
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