Changes to the Retail Food Facility Grading System

In a Motion by Supervisor Antonovich on June 9, 2015 , the Department of Public Health was directed to conduct a thorough review of the retail food facility grading system in Los Angeles County. As a result of this review, changes were made to the grading system. The grade card was revised to include the inspection date and the inspector’s initials. The new cards are being issued during routine inspections.

Another change to the grading system is the additional point deductions that will be subtracted from the inspection score under certain conditions described below:

When two or more Major Critical Risk Violations are found during a routine inspection, three additional points will be deducted from the inspection score.
When a restaurant’s or market’s permit is suspended for no water available, sewage, or vermin infestation, an additional seven points will be deducted for each of these closure violations.

A letter was mailed to restaurant and food market owners and operators regarding these changes. Below is additional information and documents to explain these changes further.