A chef picking a steak off the floor

The average American eats restaurant food five or more times a week, and every day 133 million eat out. They may be at risk for various health hazards, but they never know about it, according to an investigative report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit watchdog group concerned with nutrition and food safety.

The CSPI asked the health departments of 20 cities to provide copies of 30 restaurant inspection reports each, equally distributed among high-end, medium-range, and fast-food restaurants. Essentially, the CSPI review considered how often the inspectors observed five major health hazards and five other concerns of lesser impact.

The 5 major hazards are:

* Unsafe temperatures for food. The federal Food Code has guidelines on temperature for various stages of food use and storage. In 2004, the FDA reported that 65% of restaurants do not comply fully with these guidelines.

* Failure to wash hands. Many kitchen workers forget to wash their hands while preparing food. A 2007 CDC report found that bacteria from workers caused 20% of food-borne illnesses.

* Improper cooking. Nearly 16% of full-service restaurants tend of undercook their food, said the FDA report, exposing diners to risks of salmonella and E. coli.

* Contaminated surfaces in contact with food. Chopping boards and other surfaces used for food preparation were often contaminated, in 56% of full-service restaurants, said the FDA.

* Unsafe sources of food.

In the CSPI review, at least 66% of the 539 restaurants reviewed showed at least one major violation of food safety rules.

The researchers also found that 26% of restaurants had been cited for contaminated food-contact surfaces; 22% did not follow the prescribed holding temperatures for food; 16% had employees who did not wash their hands as required; and 13% were observed to have rats and cockroaches roaming around the kitchen.

CSPI is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to amend the agency’s model food code, with easy-to-understand, uniform inspection forms and grading cards. This is necessary because state and local governments pattern their restaurant inspection procedures after the FDA model food code.

CSPI then wants state and local governments to require all restaurants to prominently display the letter grades given by food-safety inspectors after every inspection. This will guide consumers when they eat out.

For 10 years now, restaurants in Los Angeles County have displayed letter grades. Health officials say the measure is popular with consumers, and it has reduced by 20% the number of hospitalizations arising from food-borne illnesses.

Over 40% of food-borne illnesses in the U.S. are associated with restaurant food, while only 22% are traceable to private homes.

Safety Tips:

* Visit the web site of your local health department. These often contain reports of restaurant inspections.

* Look at the restaurant’s bathrooms. If bathrooms open to the public are not clean, imagine how clean the kitchen must be.

* Ensure your food order arrives at the right temperature. If it is not as cold or hot as it’s supposed to be, the chances of improper storage are high.