The ABCs of Food Truck Grades

The system of letter grades used at restaurants with street addresses might be expanded to restaurants on wheels.

The LA County supervisors will consider a program Tuesday that would provide cleanliness grades for food trucks. A vote on the program, first proposed in September, is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

If approved, about 6,000 full-service catering trucks would receive the grades. The grades also would apply to about 3,500 food carts, such as hot dog, churro and ice cream vendors, according to the LA Times.

Some critics have expressed concerns that it's difficult to determine the level of cleanliness in food trucks' kitchens. Matt Geller of the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association said an A grade placed prominently in a truck's window will resolve any such doubts.

At the LA Public Health Department website, you can enter the name of a restaurant to find its letter grade and any reported violations. A health department employee fills out a form during the inspection and subtracts points from 100 to arrive at a letter grade.

Grade A (90-100 points): Generally superior in food handling practices and overall food facility maintenance.

Grade B (80-89 points):
Generally good in food handling practices and overall food facility maintenance.

Grade C (70-79 points): Generally acceptable in food handling practices and overall general food facility maintenance.

A score of 0 to 69 points means the inspection found generally poor food handling practices.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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