A study published in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Emerging Infectious Diseases looked at the effect of posting letter grades for restaurant inspections on the incidence of foodborne illness. The researchers compared Salmonella infection rates in New York City with those in the rest of New York state before and after implementation of a letter grade system for restaurant inspections in NYC.
They found that posting restaurant inspection results as letter grades at the point of service was associated with a decline in Salmonella infections in NYC and warrants consideration for broader use.