How Sanitary Are Your Local Restaurants?

Restaurants are responsible for about 60 percent of foodborne illness outbreaks in the U.S., according to the most recent estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In many cases, contamination starts with sick workers handling food with their bare hands. While you can't control what happens in the kitchen, you can dine smarter by knowing a restaurant's inspection history before you go.

Fortunately, more and more cities across the U.S. are disclosing this information. Roughly half of all counties now publish the results of restaurant inspections online, covering some 60 percent of the population. As a result, it's never been easier to find out how the proverbial sausage is made, and whether that translates into an ick factor for you—just go to your local health department's website to look up a restaurant's violations, along with information on how inspections are scored.