April 2, 2026, 9:20 a.m.
Hawaii State Capitol
Conference Room 229 and Videoconference
To: Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection
Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, Chair
Sen. Carol Fukunaga, Vice Chair
Senate Committee on Judiciary
Sen. Karl Rhoads, Chair
Sen. Mike Gabbard, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
Re: HB1334 HD3 SD1 — RELATING TO MEAT DONATION
Aloha Chairs, Vice Chairs and other Committee Members,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports HB1334 HD3 SD1, which would exempt wild game meat donated to charitable organizations from state meat inspection and transportation rules.
To sell or distribute meat products, a rancher or hunter must typically have the animal processed in a facility inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or an equivalent state agency. Hawaii does not have a state meat inspection agency and has limited processing capacity. Further, Axis deer do not qualify for free USDA inspections because they are considered a “non-amenable species.”
Exempting donated meat is a commonsense response to these challenges that has already been adopted by many other states.[1] This measure would go a long way toward improving Hawaii’s food security and reducing the ecological and economic damage done by invasive species such as Axis deer, goats and wild pigs.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
1050 Bishop St. #508 | Honolulu, HI 96813 | 808-864-1776 | info@grassrootinstitute.org
[1] “Game Meat Donation Programs,” Congressional Sportsmen Foundation, accessed March 11, 2026.
