After a great week at IAFP in Orlando, I’m making my way back to Guelph via Bucknell (have a talk at the Renaissance Nutrition conference there on Wednesday).

Stopped yesterday in Charleston and grabbed a picture of this restaurant inspection disclosure sign to add to our collection.  These systems are all over the place, usually in response to exposes like this one from the New Zealand Herald.  In the absence of a proactive posting system, whether online or or at point of service like the one from Charleston, public health authorities leave themselves open to journalists to dig up " the dirt on the dozens of restaurants and food outlets failing to meet basic food hygiene standards."  There isn’t a lot of research to suggest that these systems actually reduce the incidence of foodborne illness, but that doesn’t mean that the information shouldn’t be there if possible.  It’s one way for a health authority to start a food safety dialogue with their clients in the community.

Public health is funded with public money and taxpayers should expect to be able to access the inspection results of their favourite (or not so favourite) sites.  The information may not tell them much about what goes on in the kitchen, but it is a start.   What’s more important to me is what is happening when the inspector isn’t there.