Middleborough health department proposes A/B/C food‑safety grades, rollout planned for June; hearing set for March 10

Middleborough’s health agent presented a proposed food‑safety grading system to the Select Board on Feb. 24 that would display A, B and C grades at food establishments and post inspection summaries online.

The proposed scale follows the Massachusetts State Sanitary Food Code: A would be 91–100 points, B 81–90 and C 68–80; scores below 68 would trigger a probationary period and a hearing before the Board of Health that could lead to closure if the violations meet the current statutory thresholds. The health agent said the town uses a tablet‑based tracking program that maps inspection findings to the state code and yields the numeric totals that would determine the grade.

Board members encouraged public display on every public entrance, a QR code linking the posted grade to explanatory information on the town website and a public recognition list for consistently high performers. The agent said the system would apply to all food establishments regulated under the food code — restaurants, diners, gas stations with prepared food, school cafeterias, senior‑center kitchens and other institutional food providers — and noted that the process would not alter enforcement thresholds: if inspection results already require closure under state law, that action would remain unchanged.

The health agent said staff have discussed the plan informally with business owners and expect mostly supportive responses; she proposed a roughly three‑month rollout and said she would return to the Select Board for a formal vote on March 10 so the program could be ready by June. The Select Board asked that the department accept emailed public comments and suggestions ahead of the March meeting.