PEARL CITY —  This December, Hawaiʻi public school cafeterias statewide were offered the opportunity to serve local ʻuala (sweet potato) bread for breakfast using locally sourced Okinawan sweet potato. Nearly 1,700 pounds of Okinawan sweet potato were distributed to 127 participating schools.

While the recipe was new to school menus, the flavor sparked a sense of familiarity for many students at Pearl City High School and Momilani Elementary School.

“Some of the bread tastes like my grandma’s banana bread,” Momilani Elementary fourth grader Noel Belmodis said. “It tastes good… I never actually had it with sweet potatoes inside.”

Momilani third grader Aubrie Nakamoto thought it had a festive taste. “It tastes pretty good — it kind of tastes like gingerbread,” she said. “I like that it’s healthy and tastes sweet.”

Students at Pearl City High School agreed. “I actually really liked it because it’s really sweet,” said sophomore Liam Menor. “The crust is really crunchy too, kind of like bread pudding… so I just gobbled it all up.”

The effort to incorporate more locally sourced ingredients in school meals is part of the Department’s farm-to-school initiative, which aims to enhance food sustainability in Hawai‘i and aligns with the goals of พระราชบัญญัติ 175 to improve student health while supporting local farmers.

“Just as excited as we get about using local ingredients, the kids do also,” said Pearl City High School cafeteria helper Senerity McGregor. “It’s fresher, and we’re able to help our local farmers, which we like.”

Parents also recognize the value of serving locally sourced foods. “I think it’s really great that they’re having locally sourced ingredients,” added Momilani Elementary parent Chad Nakamoto. “It brings a lot of peace of mind knowing that I can drop my kids off and they’re eating a nutritious, fresh breakfast. Being that it’s locally sourced just adds to the freshness, I’m sure — and they enjoy eating it.”

Hawaiʻi public schools are among the state’s largest institutional consumers of food, serving more than 100,000 student meals daily. The Department continues to collaborate with local vendors statewide to expand the use of fresh, local produce in school cafeterias on a regular basis.