S.B. County Restaurants May Soon Get Health Ratings

San Bernardino County restaurants may soon be posting A, B and C health ratings already found in the neighboring Riverside, Los Angeles and San Diego counties.

County supervisors on Tuesday instructed the Department of Public Health to draft a rating system that the board could consider adopting within 45 days.

The system would apply only to restaurants in the county’s unincorporated areas. The county’s 24 cities could adopt the county system or another evaluation program, or continue with the present restaurant inspection program, which posts no letter grades.

The California Restaurant Assn. opposes a rating system based on grades, saying grades do not necessarily reflect the quality or safety of the food.

But Supervisor Paul Biane, who submitted the proposal, said a grading system had been requested by residents and members of the county grand jury.

“The grading system provides a good incentive to the industry to make food safety practices their top priority,” he said.