Bill > SB1152

This bill establishes the Hawaii Farm to Food Bank Program, which aims to address food insecurity by providing funds to food banks and emergency feeding organizations to purchase, store, and transport fresh, locally grown Hawaiian food. The program specifically defines "fresh locally grown or produced food" as fruits, vegetables, nuts, coffee, eggs, poultry, livestock products, milk, aquacultural products, and horticultural products that are 100% grown and harvested in Hawaii. The bill creates a new Hawaii Food Assistance Program Special Fund, which will be financed through legislative appropriations, gifts, donations, grants, and interest earnings. The Department of Agriculture will administer the program, with the goal of helping food banks acquire culturally relevant food at no cost to recipients while simultaneously supporting local agricultural producers. The bill appropriates $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to be deposited into and used from the special fund, with the broader purpose of relieving food shortages, providing local farmers a market for their products, and boosting the state's local economy.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=1152&year=2026