HI HB829

Establishes a five-year food hub pilot program administered by the Department of Agriculture to increase local food production and access, particularly in underserved areas and "food deserts."

Defines a food hub as a centrally located facility with business management structure that aggregates, stores, processes, distributes, and markets locally or regionally produced food products.

Awards grant funding to qualified applicants for construction of critical infrastructure including aggregation facilities, washing, processing, packaging, cold storage, and technical assistance to supply state institutions and other markets.

Eligibility criteria include demonstrated experience in food aggregation and processing, valid insurance and Hawaii compliance express certificate; applicants must secure a physical location and submit a detailed operational plan.

Appropriates $1,000,000 for fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023; requires interim reports to the legislature in 2022-2025 and a final report by 2026 recommending whether the program should become permanent.