Give Me An A: That's the New Rallying Cry for New York Restaurants

A-OK: That’s what restaurants across New York City are hoping health inspectors will say after a new ruling that went into effect this week.
Starting in July, all restaurants will have to display a letter grade near their entrances, giving potential patrons immediate information about whether they want to keep their reservation--or keep walking. Signs will be dated and prominently displayed in the window or vestibule. The new ruling applies to all restaurants, from swanky four-star establishments to that local falafel joint on your corner. The system will measure how clean a restaurant is.
Other cities, such as Los Angeles, use similar systems.
Although the New York Restaurant Association has protested the new rule, officials countered by pointing out that after L.A. started using the system (it has been in effect for more than a decade there), the number of restaurants that met higher standards went up.
The Health Department says that most restaurants it inspects have good health conditions, but about a quarter aren’t up to speed in food safety practices. At this point, officials say that about 30 percent of New York eateries would earn an A grade. Restaurants that receive less than an A will have time to, yes, clean up their act before grades are posted. Restaurants can also appeal their grade, much like in middle school. A ‘Grade Pending” sign will then be posted. (But hmm, wouldn’t that make you wonder, just a tad, what was going on?)
Can't wait to see the results? They’re already posted online, at nyc.gov/health.

Trans Fat Ban in New York City Restaurants Proving Successful

After two years of waging war on artificial trans fats in New York City restaurants, nearly all city restaurants have successfully cut the artery-clogging unsaturated fats from their menus (or at least to low levels of less than 0.55 grams of trans fat per serving), health officials are reporting. New York City’s Department of Health announced in December 2006 all licensed dining establishments—not only restaurants, but school cafeterias and street vending carts as well—were required to phase out heart-unhealthy trans fats from their foods. Prior to the ban, the Department of Health found that about 50 percent of restaurants it inspected used artificial trans fats for cooking, frying, and baking in their shortenings, oils, and spreads.
The department originally tried a voluntary program and an educational campaign by mailing information to train restaurant workers about the issue to about 30,000 food establishments. This educational campaign had little to no effect after a year. The department decided to instead launch a full-on mandatory ban of trans fat, which has worked well, despite some resistance from the restaurant industry, thinking it would affect business.
By November 2009, less than two percent of restaurants still used trans fats, and that number has since decreased. Since the trans fat ban proved successful in New York, it has caught on and been adopted by at least 13 other jurisdictions, such as Boston.