On the front window of most restaurants in San Diego County, there is a small card with a large letter: A, B or C. It is easy to glance at and move on, and most diners do. But the card is the visible end of a system of inspections, scoring and public reporting run by county government, and understanding it makes the letter more useful. It also reveals what the grade cannot tell you.
Who inspects restaurants?
Food safety inspections in the county are carried out by the Department of Environmental Health and Quality, a county agency whose work is overseen by the Board of Supervisors, as described in what the Board of Supervisors controls. The department permits and inspects retail food facilities, which include restaurants, markets, bakeries, food trucks, school cafeterias and many other places where food is prepared or sold. Inspectors are trained environmental health specialists who check how food is stored, prepared and served.
Inspections are generally unannounced. Facilities are inspected on a schedule based on risk, with those that handle raw or complex foods usually visited more often than those that sell only packaged items. Inspectors also respond to complaints and reports of foodborne illness.
How is the score calculated?
During a routine inspection, the inspector looks for violations of the California Retail Food Code, the state law that governs food safety. Each violation carries a number of points. The inspector subtracts the points from a perfect score of 100, and the result is the inspection score. A major violation, one that is more likely to cause illness, generally carries more points than a minor one, and county practice has assigned four points to major violations in recent years, after an earlier system used a higher number.
Typical violations include:
- Temperature control. Food held at unsafe temperatures, such as cold items that are too warm or hot items that are too cool.
- Cross-contamination. Raw meat stored above ready-to-eat food, or cutting boards and utensils not cleaned between uses.
- Employee hygiene. Failure to wash hands properly, or workers handling food while ill.
- Facility conditions. Pest activity, lack of hot water or soap, or poor cleaning.
- Food source and handling. Food from unapproved sources or improperly labeled.
Some conditions are serious enough to force immediate action. An imminent health hazard, such as a sewage backup, a lack of water or severe pest activity, can result in the facility being closed until the problem is fixed and the inspector approves reopening.
What do the letters mean?
The score converts to a letter. A score of 90 to 100 earns an A, 80 to 89 a B and 70 to 79 a C. The facility must post the card where customers can see it, typically in the front window, and food trucks and other mobile vendors display decals. A facility that does not earn an A on a routine inspection is generally re-inspected, giving the operator the chance to correct problems and improve the grade.
An A is the expected result. A news analysis several years ago found that the large majority of San Diego County restaurants earned A grades, which has led to questions about how well the grade distinguishes between facilities. A grade of B or C is rarer and tends to signal repeated or serious problems, though it can also reflect a single bad day.
What does the grade not tell you?
A letter is a snapshot. It reflects what the inspector saw on one day, not the average condition over a year. A restaurant with an A may have a bad week, and one with a B may have fixed its problems since the inspection. The grade also compresses many different kinds of problems into a single score, so an A with a few minor points off is not the same as an A that just barely made 90 with several risky violations.
The posted letter is also not a measure of taste, service or even the full range of food safety practice. Inspections look at a limited set of conditions at a moment in time. Diners who want more information can read the full report.
How do you look up a full inspection report?
The county operates a public website, called SD Food Info, where anyone can search for a facility and see its most recent routine inspection results. The reports list each violation, whether it was major or minor and whether it was corrected on the spot. The county notes that the site reflects inspection results and is not updated simply because an operator says a violation was fixed, so a posted report may not show later improvements. For older records, the county provides a public records request process.
Reading the report can be revealing. Look at the types of violations, not only the number. A report listing repeated issues with temperature control or handwashing deserves more concern than one noting a missing sign. Check the date, since an inspection from a year ago may not reflect current conditions.
What responsibilities do food businesses have?
Operators must hold a health permit, which is separate from the local business registration discussed in the San Diego business tax certificate guide. Food handlers in California must obtain a food handler card after training, and at least one certified food protection manager is generally required in most facilities. Operators must keep records, maintain equipment and correct violations within set times. They can request a reinspection for a fee, and they can dispute findings through an administrative process.
What about farmers markets, trucks and home kitchens?
The grading system applies mainly to retail food facilities, and the rules differ for other types of food sales. Food trucks are graded like restaurants. Vendors at farmers markets that sell prepared food need permits and are inspected, as discussed in how to shop certified farmers markets. California also allows registered home kitchen operations under a separate permit category with its own rules, and those are regulated differently from restaurants.
What happens after a poor inspection?
When a facility earns a lower grade, the county schedules a follow-up inspection, typically within a short window, to verify that problems have been corrected. The operator may have to attend training, and repeated or serious violations can lead to enforcement action, including permit suspension. Closures for imminent hazards are posted on the facility’s door and listed on the county’s site, and a business cannot reopen until an inspector confirms that the hazard has been eliminated. Because these steps are public, a diner who sees a closure notice can check the facility’s record and see what the inspector found.
How can diners use the system?
A few habits can make the grades more useful. Glance at the card but check the details when choosing a new place. Consider a facility’s pattern over time by looking at past reports. Report problems, such as a suspected case of foodborne illness or unsanitary conditions, to the county’s environmental health department, which investigates complaints. And remember that safe handling at home matters too: the same principles of cooking temperatures, refrigeration and cleanliness apply.
The letter grade is a small piece of public information that holds a surprising amount of data behind it. It works best as a starting point, paired with a quick look at the report and a bit of common sense.
Sources: County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality; California Retail Food Code; California Department of Public Health
