An Eat Local Challenge happening next week around the islands fosters support for local farmers and awareness of just how much food Hawaiʻi imports.
Ten years ago, Maui resident Lauryn Rego started trying to eat more local food. In the process, she launched an annual challenge that continues today.
“Every year, we go seven days [using] 100% locally sourced food,” she says.
Yes, that means substituting a lot of staples in many families' diets – like bread, rice – and even cooking oil.
Hawaiʻi imports nearly 90% of the food found in stores. The Eat Local Challenge seeks to raise awareness of the local alternatives, support Hawaiʻi’s farmers, strengthen community and increase sustainability.
Rego says locally grown cassava can be used as a flour substitute, while ʻulu and kalo can replace rice, and locally grown fruits, vegetables, meats and eggs are on the rise.
There's a lot more locally grown food available in stores today, than there was a decade ago, she says. Some farms and restaurants on Maui and Molokaʻi are also offering specials to incentivize the initiative next week.
“We now have a 100% local recipe book that is all recipes submitted from people who have participated in the challenge over the last 10 years,” Rego adds.
A bingo card geared toward getting keiki involved makes the challenge more fun. It includes activities like “thank a farmer,” “trade with a neighbor,” “try a new local fruit” or “eat something you grew.”
“Things that just kind of also get the whole family involved in the values around eating local because when we're eating local, we're not only eating healthier because the food is picked fresher and didn't travel anywhere, but it's also really for the health of our community,” Rego says.
Ten years later, the Eat Local Challenge on Maui is stronger than ever, and spreading to other islands. Communities on Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island participate, and for the first time this year, Molokaʻi.
Ashley Hogue is a farmer on Moloka’i who is leading the island’s challenge. She says even though some participants shoot for 100% local for the week, you don’t have to go all or nothing to participate.
“It's just fun to be able to download that bingo card," she encourages. "Maybe do one line, maybe do one item. It just opens up that awareness of, 'what can I get and who can I meet? Where can I get those eggs, out east Mana’e? Where can I get the beef and the pork?'”
The challenge runs Nov. 12 through Nov. 18. You can get involved and connect with other participants on the Eat Local Maui and other islands' Eat Local social media pages, or visit the Project Locavore website for more info and food resources.
