Honolulu is putting a formal game plan behind a basic question many families are asking at the checkout line: how do we make food more affordable and accessible on Oʻahu. The city’s Resilience Office has released the draft of Oʻahu’s first-ever Food Systems Plan, a five-year roadmap that officials say will steer investments in local production, food access and waste reduction. The draft is framed as a response to rising grocery prices and long-standing gaps in access for many households across the island, tying short-term relief ideas to longer-term steps that aim to make the food system more equitable and resilient.
What's in the draft
The plan lays out strategies to boost local farming and food processing, tighten and strengthen supply chains, increase institutional purchasing of Hawaiʻi-grown food, and scale up food-waste solutions such as composting. It highlights existing and emerging programs, including a Farm-to-School action plan, the Oʻahu Good Food purchasing initiative and a G.R.O.W. curbside compost pilot that would divert food scraps from landfills.
According to the City’s Resilience Office, the draft centers equity and community-based partnerships in its recommended actions, with an eye on who currently has the least access to healthy, affordable food.
Why it matters
Recent surveys show nearly three in 10 households in Hawaiʻi experienced food insecurity, with localized estimates putting the City and County of Honolulu’s rate near 28 percent, which underscores the scale of the problem. The Hawaiʻi Foodbank documents those gaps and rising demand for emergency assistance.
City officials have noted that the plan is arriving at a time when many residents are juggling both food insecurity and high grocery costs, and KITV reported on the city’s unveiling of the draft.
How to weigh in
The Resilience Office has posted the draft online and is inviting residents to share feedback through June 30, 2026. Two webinars were held in early May to walk the public through the proposals and answer questions.
The city’s webpage and the linked draft include instructions for commenting and a schedule of outreach events, according to the Resilience Office. The full draft is also available as a PDF on the city's file server: View the Oʻahu Food Systems Plan (PDF).
Where this fits
City leaders say the plan builds on recent statewide efforts, including university research, a Central Oʻahu agriculture and food hub and federal grants for resilient food infrastructure, all aimed at reducing import dependence and creating local markets. The University of Hawaiʻi and other partners have been engaged in related resilience work that complements the city’s approach, as described by University of Hawaiʻi news.
Officials will need to line up funding and navigate permitting to move the draft from paper into on-the-ground projects over the next five years. If implemented, the Oʻahu Food Systems Plan could reshape how the city buys, stores and disposes of food while directing investments to neighborhoods with the greatest need. City staff emphasize the draft is only a first step, and that the final plan will depend on public feedback and upcoming budget decisions.
