Local Produce Sales to SNAP Shoppers at Grocery Stores $20,000 $17,500 $15,000 $12,500 $10,000
$7,500 $5,000 $2,500 $0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19202122232425262728 Store Number 2019 Monthly Average Jan 2022 Actual
THE BENEFITS OF DA BUX Since its start DA BUX has proved beneficial on multiple levels. First and foremost, it enables users to buy fresh, local, healthy food at afford- able prices. Another important benefit is that it helps grow the local retail customer base for local farmers. Between January 2019 and Jan- uary 2022 local produce sales to SNAP shop- pers at participating grocery stores on average increased 180%. HFIA Member KTA Super Stores was an ear- ly supporter of DA BUX and their participation was important in getting the program off the ground at its inception. Toby Taniguchi, Pres- ident of KTA Super Stores, explains why the
program matters and some of the benefits, “For over a century, KTA Super Stores has strived to serve as an essential source for locally grown produce for our Hawai‘i Island community. DA BUX provides us the opportunity to support our local growers. Since launching DA BUX in Sept 2017, we have seen transactions associated with the DA BUX program more than quadru- ple at our seven store locations. We see this as positive sign that DA BUX is motivating families to purchase and consume more healthy fruits and vegetables and that this increased demand will drive increases in agricultural production for the state.”
T he Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Double Up Food Bucks Program, locally known as DA BUX has been an important part of Hawaiʻi’s food safe- ty net since 2017. But in order to keep the pro- gram going into the future, more local support is needed. DA BUX enables SNAP users to have dou- ble purchasing power when buying local fruits and vegetables at participating stores across the state. For example a customer could use $5 of SNAP benefits to buy $10 of locally grown carrots. It’s frequently referred to as a “win- win-win.” It’s a win for users who can buy more healthy local food with their SNAP dollars, a win for local producers since it incentivizes lo- cal produce, and a win for Hawaiʻi’s economy as it keeps SNAP dollars circulating locally in the food supply chain. Over the last six years funding for DA BUX has come primarily from Federal programs and private donors. The Food Basket, Hawaiʻi island’s food bank, administers DA BUX in part- nership with the Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance. Since 2017 they have successfully applied for four grants through the USDA Gus Schum- acher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP). Funds from those grants were matched by dozens of private organizations, including HFIA Members Ulupono Initiative. Unfortunately, in 2023 the grant application was unsuccessful, leaving the future of this es- sential program in jeopardy. A CRITICAL TIME FOR DA BUX BY ALEXIS CHAPMAN
DA BUX Fundings by Source (2017-2022)
$10,000,000 $9,000,000 $8,000,000 $7,000,000 $6,000,000 $5,000,000 $4,000,000 $3,000,000 $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $ -
2017
2019
2020
2021
2022
Corporate
Federal Government
Local Government
State Government
Philanthropy
FUNDING BILLS FAIL AT THE LEGISLATURE IN 2023 Unfortunately, in spite of the benefits for local users, local agriculture, and bringing millions in Federal grant money into the local econo- my, State financial support for the program has been inconsistent. In 2019 when the program expanded from the Big Island to the rest of the state the legislature authorized an appropria- tion of $100,000. In 2021 the state also directed some Federal Cares Act funding to the pro- gram. In 2022 and 2023 the state Legislature did not authorize funding.
ed by HFIA and a strong coalition of others who understand the importance of the program. All the of the measures eventually failed. House Bill 1248 made it the farthest. For its final hearing in the Senate it received 80 pages of testimony, all in support. This included support testimony from The State of Hawaii Department of Human Services, Department of Health, and the De- partment of Agriculture which has been a strong advocate for the program. Even though the proposed funding measure passed all necessary Committees in the House and the Senate, it failed to pass its joint Confer- ence Committee. Funding for DA BUX was also
During the 2023 Legislative Session several bills were introduced that would have provided funding for DA BUX, all of which were support-
12 | HAWAII FOOD INDUSTRY MAGAZINE | WINTER 2023–2024
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