Bill Text: HI HCR25 | 2022 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Urging The Department Of Education's School Food Services Branch To Adopt An Addendum To Its Agreements For ina Pono Supporting The Procurement Of Goods, Services, Or Both From Food Hubs.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-03-31 - Report adopted. referred to the committee(s) on EDN as amended in HD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Eli, Hashem, D. Kobayashi, Ohno excused (4). [HCR25 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2022-HCR25-Amended.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	25
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S SCHOOL FOOD SERVICES BRANCH TO ADOPT AN ADDENDUM TO ITS AGREEMENTS FOR ‘ĀINA PONO SUPPORTING THE PROCUREMENT OF GOODS, SERVICES, OR BOTH FROM FOOD HUBS.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, Act 55, Session Laws of Hawai‘i 2013, amended the objectives and priority guidelines of the Hawai‘i State Planning Act to encourage the purchase and use of Hawai‘i-grown food and food products by residents, businesses, and governmental bodies; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Education serves over one hundred thousand nutritionally-balanced, affordable meals a day to over eighty-five percent of youth in Hawai‘i; and

 

WHEREAS, the Department of Education's School Food Services Branch supports public schools statewide and ensures that its meal programs comply with federal and state child nutrition standards; and

 

     WHEREAS, farm-to-school activities can improve students' physical activity, academic performance, school meal participation, preference for fresh fruits and vegetables, and other healthy behaviors, thereby reducing the risk of chronic diseases and other health conditions later in life; and

 

WHEREAS, farm-to school programs can also increase educational opportunities and promote a school environment filled with nutritious foods; and

 

     WHEREAS, a farm-to-school initiative was established within the Office of the Lieutenant Governor to address issues of supply, demand, procurement, and consumption of Hawai‘i-grown foods in state facilities, primarily educational institutions, and take reasonable steps to incorporate more agriculture and nutrition education in school curricula; and

 

     WHEREAS, the farm-to-school initiative was later incorporated into ‘Āina Pono Hawai‘i State Farm to School (‘Āina Pono), which the School Food Services Branch formed to unite the initiative with the Branch's health and nutrition education programs, such as ‘Āina Pono Harvest of the Month, test kitchens, meal programs, menu planning, and school gardens; and

 

     WHEREAS, ‘Āina Pono develops affordable and healthy menus using fresh, local foods for students attending the Kohala School Complex on the island of Hawai‘i and, since 2018, Mililani High, Mililani Uka Elementary, and Mililani Waena Elementary schools on O‘ahu; and

 

     WHEREAS, farmers in Hawai‘i face many challenges on their way to achieving economic sustainability; and

 

     WHEREAS, food hubs provide these small- to mid-sized farmers and producers, who are often unable to afford or manage trucks, warehouses, processing space, and storage spaces, with facilities for aggregation, storage, processing, distribution, and marketing support; and

 

     WHEREAS, supporting local farmers is essential to the State's objectives of economic development and greater self-reliance; and

 

     WHEREAS, by helping local farmers become or remain economically sustainable, food hubs increase local farmers' ability to participate in larger agricultural markets, while expanding consumers' access to fresh, locally grown food and value-added products; and

 

     WHEREAS, food hubs support Hawai‘i's rural communities and present opportunities for new generations of local farmers to work and live in Hawai‘i; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Education's School Food Services Branch is urged to adopt an addendum to its agreements for ‘Āina Pono supporting the procurement of goods, services, or both from food hubs; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Interim Superintendent of Education, Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, Acting Administrator of the State Procurement Office, and Program Administrator of the Department of Education's School Food Services Branch.

Report Title: 

Department of Education; School Food Services Branch; ‘Aina Pono; Food Hubs