The Hawaii Department of Health is reminding food establishments of its protocols after a woman impersonating a health inspector apparently visited Whole Foods Market in Kahala last week.

The DOH Food Safety Branch says last Thursday at about 6:30 p.m., a woman with dark hair allegedly identified herself as a health inspector at Whole Foods and then began questioning an employee about the store’s food products.

When Whole Foods staff requested further ID and credentials from her, the woman left.

“DOH urges all food establishments to make sure that any person identifying themselves as a DOH employee have an official DOH identification badge with a valid expiration date,” said the department in a news release. “Please do not hesitate to ask for proper identification if it is not prominently displayed on the employee.”

DOH reminds the food service industry of the following:

>> DOH badges contain the inspector’s name, job title, expiration date and photograph of the inspector.

>> Food establishments may refuse entry if the person cannot produce a valid DOH ID badge.

>> Inspectors also carry equipment to conduct their inspections.

>> A manager or person in charge can ask to examine the badge or call the Food Safety Branch at 808-586-8000 to verify the person’s identity.