Have you ever wondered whether you've actually received the pound of papayas or the gallon of gasoline that you've paid for? Or whether an item labeled "Made in Hawaii" was actually made locally? How do you know that the premium gasoline that you've purchased is really 92 octane? You can be certain that you are getting what you've paid for because the men and women of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture's Measurement Standards Branch are looking out for you. The Branch works to minimize losses to both the buyer and seller in transactions of goods or services based on a measurement process or quality standards enforced by the Branch.

Measurement Standards receives technical assistance and advice from the federal government through the National Institute of Standards and Technology. However, it is the responsibility of the Branch to establish and enforce the measurement standards laws that assure equity, discourage unfair competition and promote consumer confidence in the marketplace. These laws can be found in Chapter 486, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

The Measurement Standards Branch enforces a number of labeling laws pertaining to specific types of commodities.  One of these laws, formerly called the “Kona coffee law”, was amended during the 2002 legislative session and is now called the “Hawaii-grown coffee law”.   This new coffee law became effective on July 5, 2002.  Click here for more information.

The Measurement Standards Branch has two sections that work together to enforce the law. They are the Standards and Technical Services Section and the Standards and Trade Practices Enforcement Section.

DMS Kids Page