HONOLULU -- The battle between a traditional poi maker and the state Department of Health has escalated, with supporters of the traditional practice using a petition and even bumper stickers calling for the state to allow hand-pounded poi to be sold commercially.

At Halau Ku Mana Charter School on Tuesday, students learned about the traditional preparation of pa' iai -- .undiluted poi. Nearby, the man credited with attempting to revive the nearly-lost tradition is carving a pohaku stone, which ne said he hopes to sell, since the health department still will not let him sell the product he is teaching children to make themselves.

The department had already ordered Daniel Anthony not to sell hand-pounded pa'iai to the general public He was selling to private clients, but the department also considers that illegal.

“They haven't come directly to us,” Anothony said, “but we feel frightened.”

The health department said traditional lava-rock poi pounders cannot be properly sanitized, because of the multiple holes in the rock. After hearing that opinion second-hand, Anthony decided not to apply for the sanitation permit he needs to operate commercially.

The department recently cited a restaurant that bought pa'iai from him. Department officials have warned that Anthony faces $1,000 fine for each time he has sold his product.

“It definitely super-duper intimidated me and definitely made me fearful for my family,” Anthony said. He said he couldn’t afford a single fine of that size.

Even though there are no reports of anyone getting ill from Anthony’s product, sanitation branch supervisor Peter Oshiro said Anthony needs a permit like any other commercial food producer and is refusing to cooperate in the licensing and inspection process.

In an e-mail to state Rep. Maile Shimabukuro, who is related to Anthony, Oshiro wrote, "Mr. Anthony fails to realize that we are not living in ancient times where there were no regulations designed to protect public health. The DOH cannot stand idly by while Mr. Anthony continues to endanger the health of Hawaii's people under the guise of cultural tradition.”

Shimabukuro said Anothony’s supporters feel the department should be supporting Anthony’s efforts, instead of restricting them. She said the stand-off has brought many people together to support Anothony.

“There's a huge amount of support,” Shimabukuro said. “People would be eternally grateful if the administration did the right thing and did legalize it. Give him a way to sell poi that's prepared in the traditional way.”

Shimabukuro, an attorney, said a practice like traditional poi pounding may be protected by the state constitution.

Anthony says he's been looking for ways to convince the health department his product is absolutely safe including new sterilizing techniques and scientific studies of how fermenting poi resists harmful bacteria.

Oshiro said the department is still willing to work with Anthony to get him a permit, which, Oshiro said, can’t happen until he meets with them. Anthony said he doesn’t want to go to a meeting only to be told he can’t sell his product, when, he said, “I haven’t done anything wrong.”