KÅNE‘OHE — This February public school cafeterias statewide were offered the opportunity to serve banana (mai’a) sheet pancakes for breakfast using locally grown apple bananas. Hawaiʻi apple bananas are the main variety grown by local producers. An estimated 2,135 pounds of local apple bananas were distributed to serve 92 participating schools. 

The local banana pancakes sparked a new favorite breakfast menu item for some of the students at Kāneʻohe Elementary.

"Maikaʻi loa, ʻo ia kekahi o nā ʻaina kakahiaka maikaʻi loa i loaʻa iaʻu," wahi a Beau Makua o ka papa ʻehā. “E kiʻi hou ana paha au ma hope o kēia.”

“I felt like it was the best breakfast that we’ve ever had over here,” fifth grader Logan Park said. “Probably because of the taste of the pancake and the type of banana it was. I feel like local bananas are the best out of all bananas.”

ʻO ka manaʻo o ka ʻoihana mahiʻai i ke kula e hoʻoikaika i ka hoʻomau ʻana i ka meaʻai ma Hawaiʻi a e kūlike me Kanawai 175, e kālele ana i ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana i ke olakino o nā haumāna me ke kākoʻo ʻana i nā mahiʻai kūloko. 

“I love that it’s local and we’re using what came from our land,” Kāneʻohe Elementary parent Marian Clark said. “It’s better, it tastes better, and it’s just all around coming from where we live. It’s our produce, not shipped from other countries or other places.” 

ʻO nā kula aupuni o Hawaiʻi ka mea kūʻai nui loa o ka mokuʻāina i nā huahana meaʻai, e lawelawe ana ma luna o 100,000 mau meaʻai haumāna i ka lā. Ke hoʻomau nei ka 'Oihana i ka hana pū me nā mea kūʻai kūloko a puni ka moku'āina e ʻike i ke ʻano o ka hoʻonui ʻia ʻana o nā huahana kūloko hou ma nā kula āpau i ka wā e hiki mai ana.