Question: What is the correct procedure to inform a restaurant about an apparent case of food poisoning? Should I call? Show up in person? I’d like to know whether anyone else had a problem. How do I report it?
Answer: A phone call to the restaurant’s manager would be a good start in most cases, as far as notifying the restaurant, and you also should let the state Department of Health know. The subject line of your query was “Food poisoning etiquette,” and you mentioned in our follow-up email exchange that you don’t want to get the restaurant in trouble — you are a regular patron and aren’t 100% sure that a family member’s severe symptoms were caused by what she ate. But a DOH spokesperson said it’s important to inform the department so that it can investigate further if necessary, and that a restaurant would be allowed to fix a problem before facing a penalty. You would be informed of the findings. Here’s the full DOH response:
“The responsible thing for the public to do is to report all suspected food-borne illnesses to the respective disease reporting lines on each island (see below), as well as notifying the food establishment of the suspected illness.
“Epidemiologists from DOH’s Disease Investigation Branch/Disease Outbreak Control Division screen the complaints to determine if the illness may have come from a food establishment or other regulated industry such as public pools or tattoo parlors, which have the potential to spread disease. Based on the interview between the epidemiologists and the complainant, the investigation may be referred to the Food Safety Branch.
“The role of the Food Safety Specialist at FSB is to find the etiology (cause) of the disease and to mitigate or abate the environmental conditions that may have contributed to the food-borne illness. The specialists are charged with influencing industry behavior through education first. If there is still non-compliance, we legally enforce the provisions of HAR/HRS that may lead to closure of the facility. The epidemiologists and the complainant are notified of our investigational findings in the field.
“If no one reports their illness, then no investigation is done and we will not be able to prevent others from getting sick. It could be something as simple (but critical) as a faulty refrigerator or warmer that is not keeping proper temperature, which allows for growth of pathogens. A simple inspection can identify and fix that potential cause of illness.
“To report an illness after eating at a restaurant or consuming a ready-to-eat food product, please contact the Department of Health at these numbers:
“Oahu (Disease Reporting Line): 808-586-4586
“Maui District Health Office: 808-984-8213
“Kauai District Health Office: 808-241-3563
“Hawaii (Big Island) Health Office: 808-933-0912
“After hours (Physician’s Exchange): 808-600-3625 or Toll Free 1-800-360-2575.”
HAR/HRS stands for Hawaii Administrative Rules/Hawaii Revised Statutes.
Mass-transit fares
The public can testify this afternoon to the Honolulu Rate Commission about proposed changes for Skyline, TheBus and TheHandi-Van, including higher monthly pass fares for adults and youths and higher annual pass fares, according to a news release from Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services. The commission also will accept testimony on open payment (paying with any debit/credit card, not just a HOLO card), low-income fare programs and charging fees at Skyline park-and-ride lots. Travis Ota, a spokesperson for DTS, said there’s no specific plan for the latter, but the topic is open for public testimony.
People can testify in person or via Zoom or submit written testimony. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. at 711 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1600, in the Manoa Falls Conference Room. For links to a PowerPoint presentation describing the proposed changes, as well as a Zoom link to this afternoon’s meeting, go to 808ne.ws/4g5XQd7.
To submit written testimony, email ratecomm@honolulu.gov, fax 808-768-4730 or mail to 711 Kapiolani Blvd., 16th Floor; Honolulu, HI 96813; Attention: Rate Commission.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
