Hawaii’s second annual survey of “food insecurity” showed that almost half of island families (or 48%) are either food insecure or on the brink of choosing between food, housing or healthcare — even among households that earn $90,000 or more.
The level of food insecurity jumped this year even before the federal government shutdown temporarily cut off SNAP benefits that increased demand on Hawaii’s food banks, and before upcoming federal SNAP and healthcare requirements will force even more people to make hard financial decisions.
Many of Hawaii’s food distribution lines that sprung up after the shutdown were filled with federal government employees who were forced to work without pay, suggesting that even island families with good paying jobs continue to live paycheck-to-paycheck in one of the priciest states in America.
In Hawaii, an income level of $90,000 marks a clear difference between the need for healthy and plentiful food — with 44% of families earning below $90,000 being food insecure compared to only 16% of households that bring in $90,000 or more.
But whether they make below or more than $90,000 a year, Hawai‘i Foodbank President and CEO Amy Miller said, “a lot of people are right on the edge. … Our salaries are just not enough for people to get housing and food to live.”
Catherine Pirkle of Pirkle Epidemiology and Evaluation Consulting told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the results likely do not reflect the true demand for food across the state because the survey of 1,079 island residents was not conducted in multiple languages that reflect Hawaii’s ethnic diversity — and because it only asked respondents their ethnic backgrounds and not their countries of origin out of fear of discouraging immigrant participation.
Given the Trump Administration’s on-going deportations of immigrants — both undocumented and U.S. citizens from ethnic backgrounds — “We didn’t want to ask where they’re from,” Pirkle said.
Hawaii’s hui of food banks released the second annual food insecurity survey on Monday that showed since the results of the 2023 fiscal year survey, adults in one out of five homes across the islands went without meals in order to provide food for their children.
The Food Insecurity Survey found that families are “experiencing very low food security, meaning one or more household members went hungry, skipped meals, or went whole days without eating because they could not afford enough food,” Hawai‘i’s Food Bank Hui announced at the Hawaii Community Foundation on Monday. “Eleven percent of households went a whole day without food at least once during the year — most of them reporting this occurred some months or nearly every month.”
The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history of 43 days began Oct. 1 followed by the Trump Administration announcing that it would temporarily cut off federal food stamp benefits for November. Federal judges ordered the administration to tap into funding created by Congress to cover SNAP funding shortfalls.
But in between, Gov. Josh Green responded by providing $250 in state funding for November to each of Hawaii’s 161,400 island residents who rely on SNAP; $2 million in state funding for the Hawai‘i Foodbank and its nearly 500 partners across Hawaii; and the use of $100 million in federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding for residents with children to cover housing and utility assistance through the new Hawaii Relief Program.
How the shutdown of the federal government affected Hawaii’s current level of food insecurity remains unclear.
But what’s certain is that needs increased between the first and second years of the Food Insecurity Survey that was first conducted in the 2023 fiscal year.
By age, the latest results found that:
>> Young adults ages 18 to 29 had the highest rates of food insecurity at 53%.
>> Those ages 30 to 44 were 39% at risk.
>> 45- to 64-year-olds represent 25% of residents who are food insecure, followed by 19% of older residents 65 and above.
“One in five of our older adults are food insecure,” Miller said. “This is a very significant issue.”
Overall, the survey found:
>> 32% of island households were “food insecure” — up from 29% in 2023.
>> One in five children lived in homes where they did not eat enough and 11% of them lived in households where one or more were hungry but their families could not afford more food.
>> 45% of adults suffer from “adult food insecurity” — up from 38% in 2023. The findings suggest that parents and caregivers sacrifice meals in order to feed their children, according to the survey.
By ethnicity:
>> 47% of Filipino households experienced food insecurity in 2023 and the identical percent did again in fiscal year 2024-2025.
They were followed by Hispanic households (41 percent) and Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander households (36%).
>> 16% of Hawaii residents applied for SNAP benefits in the last year, with 11 percent enrolled and 5% denied. Of those denied, 83 percent were food insecure.
By county, food insecurity rates were highest for Hawaii County (43%), followed by Maui County (41%), Kauai County (32%) and Honolulu County (25%).
Food insecurity often leads to other problems among Hawaii children, including poor attention and learning.
With healthcare costs and work requirements soon to go into effect, Miller worries that some isle families will give up their healthcare in order to feed their families.
In the latest Food Insecurity Survey, Miller said it showed that 41% of respondents already had delayed prescriptions or medical treatment, compared to 15% of people who are “food secure.”
For example, Miller said, people with uncontrolled diabetes who don’t receive treatment face “significant consequential long-term impacts (such as amputation) simply because of a basic of a lack of food. … This is just the reality for so many families and we have to do something about it.”
BY THE NUMBERS
32%
The percentage of isle households who were “food insecure” — up from 29% in 2023.
18-29
Hawaii age group with the highest level of food insecurity at 53%.
45%
Isle adults who suffer from “adult food insecurity” — up from 38% in 2023. The findings suggest that parents and caregivers sacrifice meals in order to feed their children.
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Source: Food Insecurity Survey
Source: The Garden Island