Spiegel Online reports that Germany is about to implement a restaurant inspection disclosure system, based on the traffic-light – red-yellow-green pioneered by Toronto – but the crack journalists forgot to mention Toronto.

Consumers worried about filthy kitchens full of rotting food will soon know just how clean German restaurants are thanks to a new hygiene rating system set to begin in 2012. A "traffic light" scheme will show which eateries are spick-and-span -- and which have nasties lurking under the cupboards.

On Thursday, consumer ministers from Germany's federal states, with the exception of the southern state of Bavaria, agreed to institute a color-coded hygiene rating system that will be clearly posted at the entry of every restaurant in the country.

The "traffic light" scheme will indicate how closely each restaurant adheres to health standards. Green rankings will go to eateries with the highest marks for cleanliness. Yellow will indicate some concerns, and red will point to grave violations. The exact graphic incarnation of the ratings remains undecided, though.

The decision came after more than a year of internal wrangling over whether the scheme should mirror Denmark's food safety "Smiley system," which has been in place since 2001.

"Exemplary establishments can use their rating to advertize, while those that aren't as good have incentive to improve, and the black sheep have nowhere to hide," the national association of consumer initiatives said.

The German Federation for Food Law and Food Science (BLL) said the program could only work if states were willing to conduct more frequent tests and spend more money.

Meanwhile heavy criticism came from the national hotel and gastronomy association DEHOGA, which said current regulations are sufficient. "This system is built to endanger people's existence," they said in a statement.
 

I don’t like to be paranoid about germs when I go out to eat. I like to relax and I hope that the restaurant has enough pride to provide training and demand safe practices form their employees. I prefer to assume that public policy measures are keeping me safe to a point and my healthy immune system can be counted on in case of a slip up.

When dining upscale, paying a higher price for smaller, more chic portions, many may assume that good food handling practice comes along with meticulous placement of micro-greens. This could be the case, but the same pitfalls exist for any high volume kitchen, with workers who are susceptible to the same illnesses and temptations to cut corners in order to get through the night.

When I read through the New York Times’ Dining and Wine section, restaurants are frequently featured for their chef’s artistic take on comfort food or rising celebrity status. The slideshow photos showcase the restaurant’s unique décor, avant-garde fare, and often a basic health code violation. A pair of hospital-esque latex gloves probably subtracts from the photographers’ artistic visions of plated fancy foods. Maybe chefs just take off the gloves for the photo shoot or move the tongs.

While New York health code does not require gloves to be worn during food prep, it does prohibit bare hand contact with ready to eat foods. Proper glove use is one way to comply. Of course, there are many restaurant employees who will misuse the latex gloves, so thorough handwashing is essential.
 

Keep using those fancy cell phones and social media to hold people accountable.

According to The Tico Times, Nelly Campos joined three of her friends for a meal at Café Mundo on March 22. After having some appetizers at a cocktail reception, she ordered a light meal of bruschetta topped with tomato, cheese and basil. She finished her meal with a portion of sugary pecan pie.

The following night Campos and her friends all experienced symptoms of food poisoning: vomiting, diarrhea, body aches and dehydration. One of the women, Francella Conejo, ended up in the hospital.

Two weeks later, the Health Ministry shuttered Café Mundo, citing unsanitary conditions. A health report released by the ministry remarked on various health code violations found on the morning of April 5.

Inspectors observed surfaces that were neither washed nor disinfected, cleaning solutions were placed near the liquors, uncooked meat settled next to vegetables in the kitchen. The restaurant was undergoing remodeling but no separation existed between the construction area and the kitchen. Dust coated the walls, floors and tables in the kitchen.

“The food was tasty,” Conejo said. “There’s no way we could’ve imagined the level of problems that existed [in the kitchen].”

The reports of food poisoning at Café Mundo seemed to occur over a three-week period beginning in mid-March. But the decision to close the popular San José restaurant in Barrio Otoya didn’t occur until early April. Instead Campos and others, with the help of social network Facebook, gathered the names of food poisoning victims at Café Mundo and encouraged them to create an uproar.

In the end, the Health Ministry received 25 to 35 “denuncias,” or complaints.

Each complaint represented one member of a family or a dinner with friends or business gathering that had been affected by the restaurant’s food.

On March 31, Cristy Valdés had a friend post her criticism about Café Mundo on the Facebook page of Health Minister María Avila. Valdés began her message by saying, “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry or whether to denounce Café Mundo or the Health Ministry.” She went on to explain that after the incident occurred, Valdés spent three days calling the Health Ministry trying to file a complaint. Once she explained what happened, Valdés said she was told that four denuncias weren’t enough to lead to an inspection. On Facebook though, the complaints found an audience.

Valdés learned from one commenter that another woman named Nelly Campos was putting together a list of those afflicted by a meal at Café Mundo. They worked together to find people who alleged food poisoning from an unsanitary meal. Valdés also continued to call Café Mundo, only to have the people working the phone deny that customers had called about any grievances with the food.

As Valdés built up her list, a member of the Health Ministry started noticing the outcry on Facebook over Café Mundo.

On April 6, 2011 health inspectors dropped by Café Mundo, saw numerous violations and shut down the prominent tourist dining spot.

The networking done by Valdés, Campos and others had compelled the government to take action.

Reached by phone Thursday, Café Mundo’s owner Diego Meléndez said the restaurant plans to reopen during the first week of May. He contradicted some of the claims made in the Health Ministry's report, saying there was a plastic barrier separating the parts of the kitchen under construction. Although concerned, Meléndez said he decided to keep the restaurant open since only 0.04 percent of his customers were reporting an illness. And when Café Mundo finally did close, Meléndez said it was his decision after he invited a health administrator to investigate the problems.

The owner also cast doubt that his clients were actually sickened by food poisoning, adding that doctors told him there's been a stomach flu epidemic in the country.

Yale university may have Renaissance man and actor James Franco enrolled in their PhD program, but Yalies eat like other mortals – and the food safety at Yale sorta sucks.

The Yale Daily News reports the Commons Dining Hall failed a routine inspection by the New Haven Health Departmen (right, exactly as shown, photo by Zoe Gorman, Yale Daily News). So did seven other local restaurants.

Commons scored 75 out of 100, with health inspectors citing chipping paint on equipment, the storage of employee food with that to be served to students, and soiled wiping cloths and cutting boards in their report.

Establishments are inspected between one and four times each year, and are graded on a scale of zero to 100 based on general cleanliness and other health-related issues. Those that score 80 or lower are given two weeks to improve their health and safety conditions before a second inspection visit.

In a bit of actual reporting – so rare these days – a journalist went out and chatted with nine Commons staff and not a one was aware of the potential health risks mentioned in the report. They deferred to Director of Residential Dining Regenia Phillips, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.

This is evidence of a lousy food safety culture.

In a follow-up article, New Haven Health Department Senior Sanitarian Shellie Longo said there were no serious health risks associated with eating at Commons and most of the violations cited in the inspection have little to no effect on the food itself.

Soiled wiping clothes and cutting boards are ideal vectors for cross-contamination.

Commons General Manager Maureen O’Donnell said most of the concerns will be addressed by next week, when inspectors return. But some issues, like the installation of new hand-washing sinks, will be dealt with over the summer.

“Obviously, I am concerned [about the inspection report],” O’Donnell said. “These are violations we need to address and we will.”

Neither Rafi Taherian, the executive director of Yale Dining, nor Regenia Phillips, the director of residential dining, responded to requests for comment Wednesday.

Out of 19 students interviewed, 12 said they were surprised by the findings of Longo’s inspection report. Though all said that they would not actively avoid eating in Commons unless more serious health threats come to light, many added that they were displeased by the news.

“It’s disappointing to realize that a University-run eatery like Commons is so bad in terms of cleanliness,” said Julie Blindauer.