Résumé :
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Grading systems for retail food facilities have become a heated topic of debate among health professionals. Perceptions may vary with the individual players, which include environmental health agencies, retail food operators, and the general public. The underlying purpose of a grading system can range from enhancing legal compliance to establishing incentives for organizational change, to communicating risks with the public, Whether the trigger event for a grading policy is local news coverage of food safety issues or a deliberate vision of policy makers, the effectiveness of the system should be evaluated through a policy analysis that seeks to understand individual perceptions and the underlying purpose of a grading system. If the reliability and interpretation of risk communication is not a shared value among all the players, the effectiveness of a program could be undermined, The authors believe, however, that the current controversy presents opportunities as well as challenges.
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