STAND. COM. REP. NO.  113-10

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2010

RE:   H.B. No. 2723

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2723 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to work toward ensuring the safety of persons with severe allergies to certain foods and associated anaphylaxis at restaurants by expanding the Food Safety Consultative and Education Program under the Department of Health (DOH) to:

(1)  Require the display of a food allergy awareness poster in staff areas of restaurants and other food purveyors that employ foodhandlers;

(2)  Require restaurant menus to include language notifying customers that it is the customer's obligation to inform their server about any food allergies;

(3)  Require DOH to develop a program to designate food allergy friendly restaurants that provide notification of ingredients in their foods and maintain a listing of those restaurants; and

(4)  Require certified food protection manager examinations to include questions on food allergies as they relate to food preparation.

     A concerned individual testified in support of this bill.  DOH opposed this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

(2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2723, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2723, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Economic Revitalization, Business, & Military Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair