Counties urged to boost role protecting residents from hunger

As federal nutrition programs face deep cuts and food insecurity continues to rise across Hawaiʻi, a new policy brief from the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice is urging county governments to step into a more central role in protecting residents from hunger.

“County Leadership in Combating Food Insecurity: Seizing Local Levers in Uncertain Times” argues that counties are increasingly positioned to act as front-line responders as federal resources recede and local needs grow.

According to data cited in the report, food insecurity affects nearly half of households on Hawaiʻi island, where 43 percent report difficulty accessing enough food. Maui County follows closely at 41 percent, while 32 percent of households on Kauaʻi and 25 percent on Oʻahu also experience food insecurity.

Those challenges are intensifying as federal funding for nutrition programs declines. The passage of federal legislation earlier this year eliminated SNAP-Education funding, directly threatening the stability of county food access coordinator positions that have existed since 2018. The coordinators, administered through the state Department of Health, have served as the backbone of county food system planning, disaster response coordination and local needs assessment.

“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.”