The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means on Feb. 25, 2026.
_____________
Feb. 25, 2026, 10:55 a.m.
Hawaii State Capitol
Conference Room 211 and Videoconference
To: Senate Committee on Ways and Means
Sen. Donovan M. Dela Cruz, Chair
Sen. Sharon Y. Moriwaki, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF SB3302 SD1 — RELATING TO HOMEMADE FOOD PRODUCTS
Aloha Chair, Vice Chair and other members of the Committee,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports SB3302 SD1, which would require the Department of Health to treat farm kitchens no differently than it treats home kitchens under current cottage food rules.
The bill defines a farm kitchen as “a kitchen located on agricultural land, including land zoned for agricultural use or land actively used for agricultural production, in which food products are prepared using ingredients that may include agricultural products grown or raised on the same farm.”
Act 195 (2024) expanded the kinds of homemade foods that Hawaii residents could sell and allowed homemade foods to be sold at retail, through the mail and over the internet, as long as they are properly labeled.
This legislation would build on Act 195 (2024) and be especially beneficial for rural entrepreneurs who do not have easy access to commercial kitchens.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
