This October, Hawaiʻi public school cafeterias statewide were invited to serve “bussin’ volcano bowls” — a playful take on a taco salad — for lunch, featuring locally sourced beef, lettuce and tomatoes where available. More than 4,300 pounds of local ground beef, 6,300 pounds of local green lettuce and 4,400 pounds of local tomatoes were distributed to 95 participating schools.

The featured meal celebrates National Farm to School Month, which highlights the connections between keiki, local food, and agriculture. It also celebrated National School Lunch Week (Oct. 13-17), to promote the importance of healthy school meals and their positive impact on student well-being, both inside and outside of the classroom.

At Roosevelt High School, students expressed their appreciation for the fresh, locally sourced ingredients in the volcano bowl.

“I thought today’s lunch was really good,” said junior Kainoa Suyat. “I liked how they added all the nutritious things we needed — lettuce, corn, carrots, and the meat. Even if we don’t have that nutrition at home, we got our nutrition for today.”

Senior Xinze Li, who typically opts for a salad for lunch, decided to try the featured dish instead. “The taco bowl today offered a new approach while still including the same protein and vegetables,” he said. “Honestly, the new taste was amazing and surprising.”

Li also shared his support for incorporating more locally grown ingredients into school meals. “I think the approach of using more local fresh foods in our meals is definitely a positive,” he said. “It’s beneficial for our local farmers and the students. For our local farmers, they don’t have to worry about not being able to make ends meet… and for the students, it’s beneficial for us because we get to eat really fresh ingredients and very fresh food.”

The effort is part of the Department’s farm-to-school initiative, which promotes food sustainability in Hawai‘i and aligns with the goals of Act 175 — to improve student health while supporting local agriculture.

Hawai‘i’s public schools are among the state’s largest institutional consumers of food, serving more than 100,000 student meals each day. The Department continues to collaborate with local farmers and vendors statewide to expand the use of fresh, locally grown produce across all schools on a regular basis.