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Kokua Line
Question: My 8-year-old son came home from school one day and said, "Look what my friend gave me to eat." It was a small 1-1/2-inch square with a pretty green wrapper with something hard in the middle. It looked like it could have been candy, but because I could not read the label, we threw it away. The label was in Chinese or Japanese. Three days after this, at a department store, I noticed a boy ask another boy, "Can you read Japanese?" He wanted the boy to translate something on a box. I'm not sure what happened next, but it struck me as a wake-up call. It seems to me that someone is going to get hurt when they can't read the labels on products. Things should be in English. What do you think? Product labels
must be in EnglishAnswer: Federal and state laws require labels written in English, so that consumers can understand what they are buying, said Maurice Tamura, chief of the state Department of Health's food and drug branch.
A label should state the name of the product, ingredients, net weight, as well as the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor, he said. Depending on the product, nutritional information also may be required.
State inspectors routinely check products in stores, and with distributors and manufacturers, Tamura said. But consumers can also call his office -- 586-4725 -- and inspectors will follow up on a complaint. Describe the product and where you found it.
"There could be a penalty if there is noncompliance," Tamura said.
Although there are many Asian stores in Hawaii, a lot of consumers "are familiar with the product and can read the labels, so we don't receive too many complaints," he said.
Q: Is there any organization that will let me know which nonprofit groups are actually using money for the purposes they purport to instead of most of it going for administrative expenses? I'm getting so many requests for so many causes with beautiful pictures of suffering animals, old people and Indians. I would like to give but not to a scam.
A: Call the Better Business Bureau of Hawaii, 536-6956. The BBB has general information about charitable giving, including standards you should look for in companies. But it also has specific information, such as the percentage of contributions going to the actual cause vs. operational expenses, about many charitable groups. You need to provide the name of the company and the area code for its headquarters.
Mahalo
To Jim Meyers, who helped me start my car when my battery went dead on Feb. 22 on Makaloa St. I had already asked another passing motorist to let me hook up my car with jumper cables but the battery would not charge. It turns out Mr. Meyers is a former auto mechanic who owned a sports car specialty store in Kailua. Within seconds, he had my battery jumping. But that wasn't all. I got a free mini-exam of my engine, complete with troubleshooting and economical recommendations for improved motor performance. This kind gentleman has my deepest respect and gratitude for the generous sharing of his time and ability. -- Cinde Fisher
Auwe
To a large downtown Chinese restaurant with consistently rude service. If you want to improve business, instead of giving discounts, you should try to always be pleasant, courteous and honest to your customers. -- No name
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com