{"id":18691,"date":"2026-02-24T12:56:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T22:56:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/?p=18691"},"modified":"2026-03-10T13:29:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T23:29:20","slug":"2026-maui-grown-mandarins-debut-in-hawaii-public-school-meals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/2026-maui-grown-mandarins-debut-in-hawaii-public-school-meals\/","title":{"rendered":"Maui-grown mandarins debut in Hawai\u02bbi public school meals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>KAHULUI AND WAHIAW\u0100 \u2014\u00a0 Hawai\u02bbi public school cafeterias statewide had the opportunity to celebrate the Lunar New Year with a festive \u201cgood fortune\u201d lunch honoring East and Southeast Asian cultures. The symbolic meal featured:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Orange chicken for prosperity,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stir-fry noodles for longevity,\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dumplings (potstickers) for wealth and family unity,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Round fruit \u2014 including oranges, apples, grapes and melons \u2014 for good fortune, and\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A fortune cookie.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The round fruit option created an opportunity for many schools to serve locally grown Maui mandarins from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mahipono.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mahi Pono<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of the Hawai\u02bbi State Department of Education\u2019s continued commitment to farm-to-school initiatives and student wellness, the mandarins have been available to school distributors since January, following Mahi Pono\u2019s first commercial harvest of the Hawai\u02bbi-grown crop. Mahi Pono\u2019s mandarins will be available to schools statewide throughout the spring harvest season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of the beginning of February, approximately 67,000 pounds of local mandarins from Mahi Pono have been ordered by schools across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Maui High School, students regularly enjoy the locally grown fruits. Picked and packed just minutes from campus, the freshness and quality of the mandarins were immediately noticeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was cold, it was refreshing, it was plump, it was everything that I could describe in fruit,\u201d Maui High junior Joe Liukajime said. \u201cI could keep eating it all day, it was amazing.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The enthusiasm spread throughout the cafeteria, even encouraging students who don\u2019t typically choose fruit to give it a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe school lunch&#8217;s mandarins, they&#8217;re really good,\u201d Maui High sophomore Jomel Ramirez said.\u201d\u201cThey&#8217;re really juicy and they have a lot of flavor.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe mandarins are really plump and sweet and juicy,\u201d Maui High sophomore Noa Linsby said. \u201cIt was nice to peel it back and eat it \u2014 I haven&#8217;t had one in a while.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI never wanted to try mandarins at first, but when I tried it today, it was actually really good,\u201d Maui High sophomore Izaiah Kaleikini added.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The quality and freshness of the fruit were evident on O\u02bbahu as well, where students at Helemano Elementary School in Wahiaw\u0101 enjoyed the Maui-grown mandarins during their Lunar New Year \u201cgood fortune\u201d meal \u2014 underscoring the Department\u2019s commitment to delivering fresh, locally grown produce to students statewide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The initiative is part of HIDOE&#8217;s farm-to-school program, which supports food sustainability in Hawai\u02bbi and aligns with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.capitol.hawaii.gov\/slh\/Years\/SLH2021\/SLH2021_Act175.pdf\">Ley 175<\/a>\u2019s goals to improve student health while strengthening the local agricultural economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCitrus varieties are among Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s top 10 most imported crops,\u201d Mahi Pono Community Relations Director Tiare Lawrence said. \u201cIt just made sense to displace a lot of those imports, grow it here locally\u2026 and so our mandarins, our oranges, and our tangerines are really going to make a dent in the imported produce coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese keiki are getting fresh, local fruit made by Hawai&#8217;i, for Hawai&#8217;i,\u201d she added. \u201cIt doesn&#8217;t get any better than this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hawai\u02bbi public schools are among the state\u2019s largest institutional food consumers, serving more than 100,000 student meals each day. The Department continues to collaborate with local vendors statewide to expand the regular use of fresh, locally grown produce in school cafeterias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"18695\" src=\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helemano-El-Lunar-New-Year-Meal-P1003044-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"A student at Helemano Elementary flashes a shaka while eating a mandarins served during lunch.\" class=\"wp-image-18695\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helemano-El-Lunar-New-Year-Meal-P1003044-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helemano-El-Lunar-New-Year-Meal-P1003044-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helemano-El-Lunar-New-Year-Meal-P1003044-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helemano-El-Lunar-New-Year-Meal-P1003044-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helemano-El-Lunar-New-Year-Meal-P1003044.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"769\" data-id=\"18699\" src=\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144980-1024x769.jpg\" alt=\"Students at Maui High peel their mandarins served during lunch.\" class=\"wp-image-18699\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144980-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144980-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144980-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144980-16x12.jpg 16w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144980.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"18698\" src=\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144922-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Locally grown Maui mandarins are seen at Mahi Pono.\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-18698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144922-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144922-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144922-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144922-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144922.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"18696\" src=\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8847-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Helemano Elementary is serving locally grown Maui mandarins from Mahi Pono.\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-18696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8847-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8847-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8847-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8847-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8847.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"18697\" src=\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144946-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Maui mandarins are picked from a tree at Mahi Pono.\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-18697\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144946-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144946-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144946-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144946-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P1144946.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"18694\" src=\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8882-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"A students at Helemano Elementary peels a mandarin served during lunch.\" class=\"wp-image-18694\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8882-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8882-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8882-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8882-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8882.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KAHULUI AND WAHIAW\u0100 \u2014\u00a0 Hawai\u02bbi public school cafeterias statewide had the opportunity to celebrate the Lunar New Year with a festive \u201cgood fortune\u201d lunch honoring East and Southeast Asian cultures. The symbolic meal featured: The round fruit option created an opportunity for many schools to serve locally grown Maui mandarins from Mahi Pono.\u00a0 As part [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":18693,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"856,888,893,1022,1619,1622","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","wp_popup_display_lightbox":0,"wp_popup_suppress":"","wp_popup_trigger":"","wp_popup_trigger_amount":0,"wp_popup_disable_on_mobile":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":21,"label":"News"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/4V4A8867-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Stanley Lee","author_link":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/author\/stanley-leek12-hi-us\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":21,"name":"News","slug":"news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":21,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":307,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":21,"category_count":307,"category_description":"","cat_name":"News","category_nicename":"news","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-15 17:43:14","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"post_status","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18691"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18703,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18691\/revisions\/18703"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}