The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Milwaukee Common Council president Michael Murphy is pushing an ordinance that would direct Milwaukee’s health department to set up a grading system by which restaurants would be judged. The grades received — whether A, B, C, or color-coded — would have to be posted on the front doors of the eating establishments. It’s an idea currently being practiced in a number of cities and states across the country, including New York, Los Angeles, North Carolina, and Ohio. Murphy says the intent is to encourage restaurants to maintain hygiene standards and help reduce incidences of food-borne illnesses.
Not surprisingly, opposition from restaurant groups is intense, and the Wisconsin Restaurant Association says it will oppose any such grading or scoring system because it can easily mislead consumers.
