Consumer ministers from all of Germany’s federal states, except for Bavaria, have agreed to establish a 3 color rating system for all restaurants in the country starting in 2012. Restaurant patrons should know what potential hygiene dangers are hidden behind the doors to the kitchen.
The new 3 color “traffic light” program will show how close the establishment adheres to health standards. Green rankings will represent the highest standard of cleanliness, yellow will indicate some concern, and red will be reserved for places with large violations. This system closely resembles Denmark’s “Smiley system” put in place back in 2001.
Details still need to be finalized by the federal government, but the plan is to bring the rating system to bakeries, grocers, markets, butchers, and commercial kitchens.
While consumers are largely favorable towards this new plan, some restaurants are afraid it will hurt business. Could it be because those restaurants know what lies behind those kitchen doors?
