Post inspections on the Web

The Davis County Board of Health deserves a lot of credit for at least discussing the possibility of posting its restaurant inspections online. That's far better than what state Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Lehi, wanted to do earlier this year when he introduced a bill that would have made all such inspection records government secrets.

In the United States, the presumption should always be that government records are open unless a compelling reason exists to do otherwise. Certainly, matters of public health deserve the full light of day.

The health board will consider the question this morning at 7. Unfortunately, the meeting, which is open to the public, is held at a time when most people cannot attend. If they could, we can't imagine many consumers arguing against arming themselves with greater knowledge before going out to eat. Knowledge is power. When it comes to food preparation, knowledge can mean better health as well.

Some in the restaurant industry will argue that inspections may contain information that easily could be taken out of context. If inspectors find a minor violation that is fixed by the next day, that shouldn't make customers feel uneasy about ordering food. Serious violations would lead to a restaurant being shut down, which under the current system is the best protection for the public.

But that argument assumes the public is incapable of understanding nuances and making relative judgments. In addition, a restaurant may compile a history of minor violations over time that should indeed give consumers pause. People can't always be sure they are coming to eat on a day in which inspectors have been on the premises. They may want to assess the odds that an establishment has a propensity toward slip-shod standards.

Many other counties and states already require restaurant inspections to be posted on the Internet. Other nations do as well. In Denmark, for instance, officials require the posting of a smiley face in restaurant windows. Establishments with clean records get the biggest smiles. Others have varying degrees of smiles, all the way down to frowns that warn customers away.

To their credit, state lawmakers rejected Madsen's bill during the last session. Had they done otherwise, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. threatened a veto. Clearly, that bill represented a move in the wrong direction. Should it decide to post inspections on its Web site, Davis County will be taking a right step that ought to lead other health departments to follow.