Small Hawaii farms would see greater opportunity to provide fresh produce to island school children under a bill that the Legislature sent to Gov. Josh Green.
House Bill 1293 seeks to exempt state Department of Education purchases of local edible produce and packaged food products of less than $250,000 from the electronic procurement system requirement.
Gerry Ross — owner and operator of Hawaii island’s Kupa‘a Farms — supports making it easier for Hawaii farmers to provide food to the state’s school children.
“If they could be purchased within the state that would be great, particularly if it’s a price that the Hawaiian farmer can work with,” Ross said.
He knows that often farmers in Hawaii can’t compete with the price of mainland- sourced goods.
“If we’re compared to the prices of imports, then that becomes a problem,” Ross said. “That’s part of doing business in the state here. You’re not going to pay what you pay for oranges or lettuce from California.”
After recent federal funding cuts for Hawaii food banks and hubs, some farmers are losing their largest customers and could use the extra income.
“We do need to support our local farms, especially since the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) cut a significant amount of funding,” Ross said.
He added, “The more we can close the loop in our state and provide a consistent income for farmers in our state and detach ourselves from federal funding, that’s a good thing.”
David Fitch, owner of Malama Farm on Maui, agrees that HB 1293 could increase food security within the state.
“With everything that’s going on in politics, it’s going to be real, real important for us to figure out how we can source everything locally,” Fitch said. “Supporting farms this way would be a big deal.”
Fitch also knows that locally grown produce often lasts longer than what’s imported, which would give schools more flexibility to serve fresher produce.
“We wouldn’t have to have food that’s already going (bad) by the time it gets here,” he said.
When buying imported goods from sellers like Costco “you’ve got about 20 minutes before it goes (bad) sometimes,” Fitch joked.
Hawaii’s reliance on imported food took on more urgency during the COVID- 19 pandemic when the DOE had to deliver mostly mainland-sourced school meals to students learning from home on all islands.
It was part of the greater call from members of the community to diversify the economy, including where and how it gets its food.
A dozen representatives, led by Rep.Kirstin Kahaloa (D, Captain Cook-Kealakekua-Kailua-Kona), introduced HB 1293 to provide schoolchildren with more locally produced food.
One of the others who introduced it was Rep. Diamond Garcia ((R, Ewa-Kapolei), who wrote in a text to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, “Growing and eating local should be the standard, not the exception, and this bill moves us in that direction.”
“It’s a common sense way to strengthen both our local farming industry and the health of our keiki,” he said.
By passing HB 1293 into law, “We’re not only supporting Hawaii’s farmers — we’re making sure our children are eating fresh, nutritious meals,” Garcia wrote.
Personal trainer Ziggy Kitsou regularly shops for produce at the Manoa Farmers Market, knowing the importance of fresh vegetables for a balanced diet.
“I value health and I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older that nutrition is such a huge part of that,” she said.
Kitsou believes that HB 1293 could set students up for a healthier future.
“If you’re not fueling yourself, everything else is affected — your emotions and how you handle them, your physical health — it really is a foundation for your success.”
Ulu Pono Initiative wrote testimony supporting HB 1293 to introduce children to a healthy diet in their early years.
HB1293 and local food initiatives are “shaping the tastes, attitudes and eating habits of Hawaii’s keiki for healthy outcomes,” Ulu Pono Initiative wrote.
Maya Gaudiano, a member of the Hawaii Youth Food Council, also wrote in support of HB 1293 in the hope of seeing her future children enjoy locally grown produce.
“When I grow up and have keiki of my own, I wish to be able to see their plates filled with food, grown from their own gardens or those in our community,” she wrote.
