Policy brief calls for expanded county role in addressing food security in Hawaiʻi

A new policy brief from the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice urges leaders on the county level to address food insecurity as federal nutrition programs face significant funding cuts.

The brief, “County Leadership in Combating Food Insecurity: Seizing Local Levers in Uncertain Times,” details how county governments can leverage their unique position to protect residents.

According to a recent Hawaiʻi Foodbank report cited in the brief, Maui County households experience the second-highest levels of food insecurity in the state, with 41% of residents reporting difficulty accessing enough food.

The Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center brief comes as recent federal legislation, H.R.1, eliminated funding for SNAP-Education, which puts county Food Access Coordinator positions at risk. These roles, established in each county in 2018, have supported food system planning, disaster response coordination and community needs assessments. The policy group said communities may lose “the backbone of their local food security infrastructure” due to the federal funding cuts.

“The crisis is clear: federal supports are receding just as local need is soaring,” said Genevieve Mumma, food policy analyst at Hawaiʻi Appleseed. “Counties are no longer just partners in food security—they are becoming essential first responders. This brief highlights some ways counties are already stepping up to meet the need, and provides a roadmap for how county agencies, from Emergency Management to Parks and Recreation, can use existing resources and authority to fill the gaps.”

According to the brief, counties are already taking action in several areas and could expand their impact through additional coordination and investment. These areas include disaster preparation and planning, such as multi-agency feeding plans during emergencies; summer feeding programs supported through county parks and recreation departments; expanded kūpuna feeding programs through Area Agencies on Aging; and direct county funding support for food banks.

The brief also points to program innovation efforts, including resolutions supporting universal free school meals, local food purchasing incentives such as the planned “Farm to Families” program and expanded outreach for federal benefit programs including SNAP and WIC.

Hawaiʻi Appleseed emphasized that county-level efforts are intended to complement, not replace, federal and state nutrition programs. The organization said that counties are positioned to tailor responses to local conditions, including interisland transportation challenges in Maui County, particularly for Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi.

The policy group said county programs are quietly filling local needs amid a serious destabilization of foundational food safety nets, but further investments must be made to have the greatest impact.