Food Safety: China Considers Evaluating Restaurants With Smiley (Or Sad) Faces

In China, vinegar, pork and milk have all been hit with contaminated food scares recently. To combat unsafe food in restaurants and delis, the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) has proposed posting cartoon faces -- a happy face, stern face or sad face -- on restaurants based on how well the establishments do on safety inspections, reports China Daily.

The criteria for determining whether an establishment will merit a happy or sad face will be based on a range of factors including environment, facilities and disinfection. The Chinese public has mixed reactions and is wary about how the proposal will be implemented, according to China Daily.

Although the grading system is not that dissimilar to New York City, in which health inspectors post letter grades, using faces as determinants is definitely a more whimsical approach to a serious issue. Still, just as no one wants to eat at a restaurant with a C letter grade, no one would want to eat at one with a frowning face either.