TSA bans food that can be ‘poured, spread or sprayed’

Question: Several weeks ago, in a letter to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald (is.gd/ZyWGsH), a woman related how TSA folks told her she could not carry Zippy’s chili on her flight back from Oahu because it was considered a liquid. She had done it before without incident. My sister once had to give up surimi (fish paste) at Hilo Airport. How are we to know what food we can and cannot carry on the airlines? It’s more important now that we are all trying to avoid paying for checked-in boxes.

Answer: It’s difficult to assess through email the account of the incident about chili from Zippy’s or elsewhere, Nico Melendez, spokes­man for the Transportation Security Administration’s Pacific Region, told us in an email.

He said there have not been any recent changes of TSA procedures or the allowance of liquids.
Here’s his guideline: “In short, if an item can be poured, spread or sprayed, it will fall into the category of a liquid, though our officers are able to use their discretionary skills to allow or disallow an item.”

Regarding the behavior of TSA agents, Melendez said he encourages any passenger “who has an issue of unprofessionalism to contact a supervisor or management team member while still at the airport security checkpoint.

“We will hold our people accountable and hold them to a high standard of behavior while treating passengers with respect,” he said.

You can find information about what foods are prohibited on the TSA website, tsa.gov.

NEW ROOSTER CONTRACTOR

Animal Haven has won the city’s new contract dealing with noisy roosters and feral chickens on private property, effective today.

The organization, formed in November, outbid the previous contractor, Royos Farming, by only 60 cents, according to the city Department of Budget and Fiscal Services’ Purchasing Division. The winning one-year bid was for $59,999.40.

The contract may be extended for periods not to exceed five years, said Dennis Kami­mura, administrator of the city’s Motor Vehicle and Licensing Division.

General provisions of the contract remain the same, although the city is now requiring reports on “where the birds are coming from and where they are going,” said Frank De Gia­como, president of Animal Haven.

The contract requires educating owners of crowing roosters on zoning requirements, laws related to animal nuisances and humane methods of quieting the roosters, Kami­mura said. It also requires leaving educational material with the rooster owner on the first visit after a complaint. After the third complaint about the same owner, the matter is supposed to be referred to police “for appropriate legal action,” he said.

“The contractor is also required to capture feral chickens located on private property, upon request of the property owner, and dispose of the chickens in a humane way,” he said.

Animal Haven is applying as a nonprofit with the IRS, said De Gia­como, formerly with the Animal Care Foundation. It already is involved in “programs all over the island,” including with feral cats and rescue animals, as well as nuisance fowl.

“With this contract, we’ll be handling more chickens, and they will be going out to farms a lot,” De Gia­como said. He said captured fowl will be dealt with “nonlethally.”

Call Animal Haven at 799-7791. Information can also be found on its Facebook page, goo.gl/g1K9X.

MAHALO

To Willy Mersberg, who willingly helped fix our tire Sept. 5. He knew exactly what to do, wasting no time and refusing payment. Halekulani Hotel, thank you for sharing him with us.

— Grateful Seniors

Write to "Kokua Line" at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.