'I've got nothing to hide': Halifax West restaurant owner 
Mexico Lindo owners agree with food inspection website, disagree with colour coding

CHRIS KALLAN 
Halifax News Net
Nov 6, 2008

Food inspection colour codes, used elsewhere in Canada and posted on the outside of
a restaurant, are a recipe for disaster, according to Wilson Jenkins.

"Anyone is welcome to come into my kitchen at any time because I have nothing to
hide, but there's just no way any restaurant can be 100 per cent infraction-free all
the time," said Jenkins, who co-owns Mexico Lindo on Dutch Village Road along with
his wife, Ana. "Colour coding is going way too far."

New Brunswick introduced the controversial colour coding system last year - green is
good, red is bad, while yellow can include anything in between. Some cities in
Ontario also follow this method for potential diners to peruse.

Whether this practice - green indicates food safety laws are being followed, red
signals an immediate hazard has been found and the restaurant is closed, while
yellow means it's safe to eat and non-critical violations need to be corrected -
will eventually exist in Nova Scotia is unknown.

But progress has been made.

Last week, the Department of Agriculture's food protection and enforcement division
revealed a new website (www.ns.gov.ca/agri/foodsafety/ reports) for listing
inspection reports for the province's approximately 5,000 restaurants, grocery
stores and other food vendors; the site includes information regarding food safety
infractions and the action required to satisfy regulations. Potential customers can
search for a restaurant's inspection history by typing in its name or location.

The Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia (RANS) is in favour of the government
monitoring its organization.

"Allowing consumers access to information is a right that they deserve and our
industry is happy to oblige," RANS executive director Gordon Stewart said in a news
release.

The system cost $325,000 and the current database contains more than 1,500
inspection reports so far for visits between July 10 and Nov. 1. Reports are online
within three days of a complete inspection.

Costa Elles, RANS president and owner of several bars and restaurants in the metro
area, agrees with online access, albeit with more specific details, but doesn't
believe a colour sticker represents accuracy.

"A colour-coded system allows too much room for interpretation," said Elles. "If an
inspector comes in and tells me they'd like to see something done before they come
back in a few months then I would still get a warning ... the customer doesn't know
how minor it is. It's too vague.

"In a business where an 80 per cent failure rate takes place, it's enough to put you
over the edge."

Food inspection reports are stored online in the province's database for two years.
Specialists visit each place one to three times per year.

But is online access to a restaurant's food inspection history enough? After all,
how many people will sit down in front of their computer to check out an eatery in
advance?

Still, a yellow sticker for a minor infraction could stick in the consumer's head
for an indefinite period of time. That's what irks Jenkins, whose popular Mexican
eatery received a thumbs up from food safety inspectors on Aug. 19.

"You could have positive review after positive review, but then some little thing
happens and it's blown out of proportion," he said. "We don't need that in our
business."

weeklyhalifaxwest@hfxnews.ca