City and Partners Invite Organizations to Join “Oʻahu Good Food Program” to Support Local Agriculture
HONOLULU – The island-wide Oʻahu Good Food Program to support local agriculture kicked off today with the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi Public Health, Kamehameha Schools, Punahou School and other partners. These large local organizations are committing to measure their purchase of locally grown fruits, vegetables, and proteins, and will then increase the percentage of products from local farmers and ranchers.
“Local agriculture will play a pivotal role in our strategy to create a post-COVID economy that is more equitable, diverse, and filled with good jobs for our people,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “We are pleased to stand with our partners and support local farmers, ranchers, and growers with the Oʻahu Good Food program. We invite other organizations to join us in this movement. Together, we can do great things for our community.”
The Mayor marked the start of Oʻahu Good Food by pledging the City’s support, which includes tracking and analyzing all food purchases through the People’s Open Market under the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Elderly Affairs Division in the Department of Community Services, and the Department of Enterprise Services.
Collecting baseline numbers will inform the public about how the City currently purchases food. Over time, it will help the City to establish policies and practices to buy more food from local farmers and ranchers.
The City was joined by several large organizations also pledging their support: Kamehameha Schools, Punahou School, the Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute, and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.
One of the many benefits of supporting local agriculture is the freedom it provides to innovative local entrepreneurs who are making the next generation of Hawaii products with locally grown materials. The Oʻahu Good Food trade show highlighted locally made products from a dozen small businesses.
The Oahu Good Food Program is sponsored by the City and County of Honolulu’s Office of Economic Revitalization and the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.
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