The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0107.222 2016-2018 At; T OF S ' 6 tc a Officers: John Erickson,Young's Market Company—Chair ,:, .; Beau Oshiro,C&S Wholesale—Vice Chair .,, . .. w Toby Taniguchi,KTA Superstores—Secretary/Treasurer John Schilf,Rainbow Sales and Marketing-Advisor '� Stan Brown,Acosta—Advisor 411 Paul Kosasa,ABC Stores—Advisor r ' �`. HAWAII FOOD INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION Barry Taniguchi,KTA Superstores—Advisor Derek Kurisu,KTA Superstores—Immediate Past Chair Lauren Zirbel,Executive Director 1050 Bishop St. PMB 235 Honolulu,HI 96813 Fax:808-791-0702 Telephone:808-533-1292 http://www.hawaiifood.com TO: County of Hawaii County Council Valerie T. Poindexter, Chair and Presiding Officer Karen Eoff,Vice Chair FROM: HAWAII FOOD INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION Lauren Zirbel, Executive Director DATE:September 9, 2017 TIME: 9am PLACE: Hawaii County Building, Hilo Hawaii RE: Bill 13 Position: Oppose The Hawaii Food Industry Association is comprised of two hundred member companies representing retailers, suppliers, producers, and distributors of food and beverage related products in the State of Hawaii. HFIA is in opposition to this measure, as it is a mandate on businesses that will increase costs for Hawaii consumers who are already being asked to pick up a twelve fold increase in cost due to the recent plastic bag ban; please do not pass on this additional cost to consumers. Please allow consumer demand and behavior change to determine product offerings. One of the first considerations that this bill notes is about the valuable space that waste takes in existing landfills. However,the bill fails to mention that since Hawaii County has no commercial composting facility, all waste regardless of whether it bears the label "compostable"or"biodegradable",will take up that same space in the landfill,where nothing breaks down or decomposes, including the more expensive container options. Landfills are designed to protect the environment from the liquids and gases produced by reducing the exposure of garbage to air,water and sunlight—conditions essential for degradation.Without an investment in commercial composting facilities,this increased cost for food establishments and consumers will result in negligible environmental benefits. COmmo NO® I Dl, Ref. To: LV IA' 1'eDo fie ____ In addition to the extra cost, less durable non-polystyrene containers can pose other probmels for customers and businesses alike. Leaks from compostable containers that don't contain liquids as well as polystyrene are an inconvenience as best and at worst may burn customers, leaving retailers liable when they are unable to supply suitable containers. This bill also mentions waste getting into our precious marine environment,which is a concernt we all share. Unfortunately, most of the trash debris seen on Hawaii's beaches is the result of haphazard disposal of waste from all over the world and on the seas,which is brought here by currents. Many products do not biodegrade which is why waste management is such an important issue. Before taking action on this measure we also respectful ask our ciouncil Members to consider what exactly they are banning.The traditional polystyrene plate lunch containers that many of our local businesses use are a locally made product, manufactured on Oahu in Kalihi. Hundreds of Kalihi jobs would likely be eliminated if the Legislature continues to threaten this Hawaii produced,favorably priced, FDA approved product. Passing this measure will ban a safe, locally created product and mandate the use of a product that must be shipped from China to the mainland and from the mainland to Hawaii. If environmental protection is truly the impetus behind this bill then the negative environmental impacts of the alternative containers must also be considered. Other types of containers will also end up as waste taking up space in our landfills, but waste is not the only environmental issue. Because non-polystyrene containers are made thousands of miles and have to be shipped here away they will incur a huge carbon footprint before even arriving in Hawaii. There are also very real concerns associated with the manufacturing of"biodegradable" packaging.A Smithsonian Magazine article (2006)wrote that biodegradable alternatives have considerable drawbacks that haven't been publicized ...for example the cultivation of corn uses more nitrogen fertilizer, more herbicides and more insecticides than any other U.S.crop; those practices contribute to soil erosion and water pollution when nitrogen runoff enters streams and rivers. All products—regardless of the material from which they are made—require the use of various natural resources (i.e., energy,water). A 2006 Life Cycle Inventory study by Franklin and Associates showed that polystyrene,when compared to other food service containers, is very efficient in minimizing air emissions and energy used in the manufacturing process and in reducing the amount of waterborne waste generated during the manufacturing process. This bill makes the false assumption that products that would replace polystyrene are somehow manufactured in a vacuum without the use of any raw materials, energy,or water, or fuel to deliver them. This is especially important considering many biodegradable options are produced in China where labor, quality, and environmental standards are know to be well below the labor, quality, and environmental standards practiced in plants which produce polystyrene here on the island of Oahu. Extensive studies from the FDA, Health Canada and Environment Canada concluded that polystyrene is"non-toxic" and that styrene "does not constitute a danger to human life and .t health" and "does not constitute a danger to the environment on which human life depends." The fact is there are environmental upsides and downsides to any product, and these trade offs must be considered before a decision is made that could increase prices for Hawaii customers, hurt Hawaii businesses, and cost Hawaii jobs. While polystyrene is a petroleum product, it is also a resource. It is currently being recycled in Kalihi on a small scale, and is becoming a major recyclable resource in schools on the mainland. In fact, more that 57 million pounds of packaging were recycled in 2004. Also, in accordance with EPA priorities, polystyrene manufactures have placed precedence on source reduction and reuse as well as recycling, locally here in Hawaii and nationally. On Oahu polystyrene is also utilized by HPOWER to create electricity. The market is creating its own commercially viable and money generating options for businesses and consumers—options that don't put people out of work or force the market to act in premature ways, but instead generate jobs and profit for government and private enterprise. Food businesses use polystyrene products as a primary means of dispensing food because polystyrene is cost effective and sanitary and its sturdiness protects customers from spills and burns. In addition to being FDA approved, polystyrene containers promote food safety and help to keep food fresh for longer periods of time by insulating and maintaining appropriate temperature. While we understand the environmental concerns,there is currently no comparable,cost effective alternative available that provides the same level of durability,temperature regulation and overall efficacy as polystyrene. We believe it is unfair to require our local businesses to use packaging alternatives that cost two to three times more than polystyrene products.The only ways to offset this proposed prohibition are to increase prices or to take a substantial financial loss,which may lead to layoffs or closures and leaving people without jobs. Increases to the price of food will also impact Hawaii families and individuals who are already struggling to pay for basic living necessities. We think a much more positive step would be for the County of Hawaii to look into establishing a polystyrene recycling program.A ban would target polystyrene made and used in Hawaii, but it would have no effect on the large amount of polystyrene waste generated elsewhere and brought here with ocean currents; a recycling plant on the other hand could address all kinds of polystyrene waste without negative impacts to consumers, businesses, or workers in Hawaii. Please remember that this proposed ban will not be a negligible cost against a large company; rather it will hurt non-profits, school cafeterias,grocers, restaurants,small mom and pop establishments and local families-all struggling with high food and living costs. Financially hurting non-profits and small businesses,fostering job layoffs and closures in the food industry and driving up the price of food for families is not the right choice for Hawaii County and for these reasons we ask that this measure be held. Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony.