Since Portland is a major tourist and foodie destination, the food inspection problem in Portland is a serious problem.

I have a solution. Charge food sellers for the cost of inspections. Figure out how many inspectors are required to do the job effectively and calculate their cost.

Prorate those costs among the 700 food sellers on a sales basis. Also, there should be fines for failing to pass the inspection. Small fine for one failed exam, larger fine for the second and shut down for the third.

The use of a pass/fail system is not effective. I have lived in states that have an inspection grading system, from 1 to 100. Restaurants are proud to post the results.

Portland also has a significant problem with other areas of code compliance. I was wheelchair bound several years ago. My wife and I enjoy eating out. Knowing there were state and federal laws requiring handicapped access, there should have been no problem.

We called around and went to some restaurants that said they were “accessible.” There are very few restaurants in Portland that comply with the requirements. Restaurants with steps to enter, no ramps, no accessible seating, doors that can’t be opened from a wheel chair — all of these violate the spirit and letter of the law. Some restaurants don’t even know that they are not accessible. My guess is that there are not too many inspections done in this area, either.

Allan Brockman is a resident of Buxton.