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<br />Alexis Chapman <br />Hawaii Food Industry Association <br /> <br />The world and our state are very different than they were when this group was created. As we all work to <br />stay physically safe many of our residents and businesses are also struggling with overwhelming financial <br />hardships, and food insecurity has increased exponentially in our state in the last 6 months. Since the <br />COVID-19 pandemic began we have seen dozens of businesses closures and thousands of job losses. With <br />no end in sight, we are faced with both the challenge of finding new ways to function right now, and the <br />difficulty of trying to plan for a completely uncertain future. <br /> <br />The Hawaii Food Industry Association (HFIA) is comprised of two hundred member companies <br />representing retailers, suppliers, producers, and distributors of food and beverage related products in the <br />State of Hawaii. Many of our members are Essential Businesses, and all our members are job creators, <br />economic drivers, and important parts of our communities. Our member businesses have risen to the <br />challenges of COVID-19 in remarkable ways and we are proud to support them. Our members work hard <br />to feed our state and have shown time and again how much they care about their customers, their <br />communities, our islands, and our future. Many of our members are recognized as leaders in creating <br />sustainable practices. <br /> <br />As we continue the work of determining the best, most responsible ways to manage waste, we encourage <br />the state to adopt an inclusive approach. We support collaborative efforts that use scientific data and enable <br />a range of stakeholders, including our business community to work together to find ways to improve <br />sustainability in our state. <br /> <br />Hawaii focused solutions to environmental challenges. As the voice of Hawaii's food and beverage industry <br />we are proud to represent and support those that feed our state, and we will continue to work to make sure <br />that food is safe, healthy, accessible, and affordable for all Hawaii residents, now and in the future. <br /> <br />18 <br /> <br /> <br />