Push to feed Hawaiʻi kids more local food is ‘structural disaster’

Last year, the department estimated it costs $9 to produce a school lunch. At the time, the department simply calculated its cost per lunch by dividing food and supply costs and staff wages by the total number of meals—and lacked the data for a more detailed breakdown of its expenses, the audit said, citing Civil Beat’s reporting on the issue.

The report also questions the validity of DOE’s data, since schools lack a centralized process for tracking and reporting how much they’re spending on local food. 

The auditor’s findings are no surprise to farm-to-school advocates, who have for years lobbied the officials and asked for an overhaul of the food services branch. 

 “This report just crystallizes what we’ve known for a really long time,” said Daniela Spoto, deputy director at Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice.