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HRS §328-27

When the health department can destroy spoiled food

This section lets the health department immediately condemn or destroy any perishable food found in a building, vehicle, or other place if it is spoiled, filthy, poisonous, or unsafe to eat. The food is legally a nuisance. The department can also make it unsellable as human food.

everyone

The statute, as written — Perishables destroyed when

Whenever the director of health or any of the director's agents find in any room, building, vehicle of transportation, or other structure, any meat, seafood, poultry, vegetable, fruit, or other perishable articles which are unsound, or contain any filthy, decomposed, or putrid substance, or that may be poisonous or deleterious to health or otherwise unsafe, the same being hereby declared to be a nuisance, the director or any of the director's agents, shall forthwith condemn or destroy the same, or in any other manner render the same unsalable as human food.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.