HONOLULU — On Monday Mayor Rick Blangiardi gathered with partner organizations to launch the islandwide Oahu Good Food Program to support local farmers and ranchers.

What You Need To Know

  • The City and County of Honolulu launches Oahu Good Food Program to establish new policies and practices to buy more locally grown and raised products to support farmers and ranchers

  • The program will track and analyze food purchases made by the City and County of Honolulu and partner organizations, which will lead to increased support of local agriculture

The City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii Public Health, Kamehameha Schools, Punahou School and other partners are committing to measure their purchase of locally grown fruits, vegetables and proteins, and will then make changes to increase the amount of products to support local agriculture.

“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 Mayor Blangiardi in a news release. “We are pleased to stand with our partners and support local farmers, ranchers and growers with the Oahu Good Food program. We invite other organizations to join us in this movement. Together, we can do great things for our community.”

The City and County’s support will enable the program to track and analyze 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.

The data collected will provide baseline numbers to inform the public of how the city currently purchases food. Then, over time, the city can use the information to establish new policies and practices to buy more locally produced and grown products.

Organizations pledging their support include Kamehameha Schools, Punahou School, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

Following the announcement, local entrepreneurs and businesses incorporating Hawaii-grown and raised products shared samples at the Oahu Good Food Show held at the Hawaii Convention Center.

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; Hawaii Public Health Institute; and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii.