What's happening
This bill creates a letter grade system (A, B, C) for food safety inspections of retail food stores, food service establishments, and warehouses, requiring public posting of grades.
Why it matters
Increases transparency and accountability. by requiring food stores, restaurants, and warehouses to publicly display their most recent health inspection grade (A, B, or C), making it easy for consumers to assess food safety at a glance.
Creates a standardized grading system. that incorporates state and local health codes, potentially leading to more consistent food safety practices and enforcement across New York.
Implements a formal appeals process. for establishments that dispute their grade, allowing them to challenge the result while still posting the grade under review—balancing fairness for businesses with public right-to-know.
Encourages better compliance. by linking inspection frequency to performance: higher-graded (A) establishments are inspected less often than those with lower grades (B), and establishments can request reinspections (for a fee), incentivizing improvements and quick correction of violations.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Grade Food Stores Statewide
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Referred to agriculture
- Referred to agriculture
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1525
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 10, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to establishing a grading system for retail food stores, food service establishments and food warehouses
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new section 501 to read as follows:
§ 501. Retail food store, food service establishment and food warehouse grading system. 1. The commissioner shall establish a system for grading inspection results for retail food stores, food service establishments and food warehouses, as defined in section five hundred of this article. Such system shall use and post letters A, B or C to identify and represent such grading and classification with all other lower grades being deemed to be failing grades. In establishing such system of grading, the commissioner shall take into account the provisions of title eight of article thirteen of the public health law and the provisions of the sanitary code to establish a grading system that reflects the safety and sanitation of the premises and food handling practices to ensure compliance with state and local laws.
2. Such retail food stores, food service establishments and food warehouses shall conspicuously post near the entrance to such establishment the letter grade identifying and representing the result of such establishment's most recently graded inspection by the department. Such posting shall be done in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the commissioner. In addition to a letter grade, such establishment shall receive the findings upon which such grade is based. The retail food store, food service establishment or food warehouse may appeal such subsequent assignment of a letter grade designation to the commissioner for review within thirty days of such assignment. While any such appeal
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04441-01-5
is pending, the retail food store, food service establishment or food warehouse shall post the letter grade that is being appealed.
3. The suggested interval between regularly scheduled inspections of retail food stores, food service establishments and food warehouses may be as follows:
(a) for establishments with a grade of "A", at least once every year; and
(b) for establishments with a grade of "B", at least once every nine months.
4. A retail food store, food service establishment or food warehouse that requests a reinspection from the department, shall pay the department a fee of up to two hundred fifty dollars. Provided however that the provisions of this subdivision shall not negate the ability of any department to inspect a retail food store, food service establishment or food warehouse on the basis of a complaint from a member of the public.
§ 2. This act shall take effect two years after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.