About HFIA

According to our most recent CEO, Glenn Muranaka (Meadow Gold Daries), “HFIA is a Premier Organization committed to an
effective/efficient system to provide Hawaii consumers the highest of quality products, with a powerful impact to Hawaii’s social, economic, and governmental environment.”

 HFIA is a trade organization made up of food retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and brokers as Regular Members. Other firms are Associate Members including firms that work with the food industry, like transportation, financial institutions, media, services & repair, publishing, insurance, etc.

 HFIA’s primary function is to act as liaison between government and the food industry, is keeping our industry informed on government activities, while representing our industry on legislative issues. HFIA is involved in the passage or defeat of most legislation affecting our industry, whether it be taxes, environmental, consumer protection, employee issues, and even issues relating to crime. Many times, HFIA may be the only organization representing your interests.

While HFIA has Social Functions, it is not a social club. Each function has the purpose of providing camaraderie, allowing our food industry ohana to meet in a social atmosphere, many times where spouses and children can participate, allowing families to learn more about the food industry as it exists today.

 To meet our legal requirements, HFIA has an Annual Convention and Meeting where reports, elections, awards, motivational speakers, and installation of new officers is separated from social events which include golf, children’s functions, receptions, a banquet, and picnic.

 While HFIA members volunteer their time to plan and implement HFIA events, staff provides the collection and dissemination of information.  This is done by direct member requests, as well as the following:

·        The publication of newsletters;

·        Email bulletins;

·        Maintenance of our websites for 24/7 access to information at www.hawaiifood.com and                     www.lish.info (Access code required Member’s Only section); and

·        Personal calls on vital issues.

Communication is through our Food & Beverage magazine that you are now reading, which reaches members and non-member, as well as Legislators, Council Members, Government Officials and Government Agencies. This allows our industry to not only disseminate information, but to editorialize on issues that need further explanation as to why we have taken positions on issues affecting not only the industry, but the community. Our publication also allows us to share success stories of member firms, educating the entire industry on what is happening within our own Hawaii Food Industry.

 Community programs can be considered as paying back something good to the community that we live and work in, and that provides us with our own success. HFIA has several community programs that include:

·        The HFIA Rainbow Fever Program where money is raised to support Scholarships for Athletes. The program is being redesigned to include Non-Athletic educational programs that will be directed toward environmental issues, and recruiting employees into the Food Industry.

·        The Made In Hawaii Festival is produced by the HFIA. We call this a business incubator that supports locally made products, and has been responsible for a number of small firms to grow into very productive businesses. www.madeinhawaiifestival.com

·        HFIA helped create the Hawaii Foodbank www.hawaiifoodbank.org , and has been a major supporter since it started. This is a vital community program, especially when our economic conditions go in the wrong direction.

·        With environmental concerns being a major community issue, HFIA has created a special program that includes:

o       High School Media Recycling Commercial Contest;

o       The Knot Your Bag program to allow more time to create other solutions to flying bags;

o       Participation in the Honolulu Discover Recycling Fair to broaden our education on recycling to school children;

o       Partnered with the Retail Merchants of Hawaii (RMH) to co-sponsor Recycling Programs on Maui, and Honolulu; and

o       Partnering with the Retail Merchants (RMH) on a Shopping Cart Retrieval

o       Program to reduce the number of stray carts.

 Member Services are something that members first look at to justify their annual dues payment. The real facts are that dues income generally is not adequate to cover the costs of providing all of the services members want. This is factual in the vast majority of non-profit organizations, and HFIA is not different. Yet, member services are vital, since business needs information, educational programs, and a means of meeting government mandates requiring education. Further, it is vitally important that the our Food Industry is properly represented at government and legislative hearings. The bottom line is that both industry members and HFIA need each other.

 Educational Programs include:

·        Pseudoephedrine Sales Certification via eLearning;

·        Forklift Certification at your location;

·        Truck Driver required annual Driver Improvement Classes;

·        Career Pathway Curriculum at UH;

·        Over 50 low cost eLearning  (internet based) courses you or your employees can access over the internet (www.hawaiifood.com), starting at only $9.95 per course, covering the following subjects:

 o       Business Skills

o       Computer Skills

o       Food Safety

o       Loss Prevention

o       OSHA Courses

o       Pharmacy Courses

o       Retail Compliance

o       Retail Management Series

Legislative Updates on both old and new laws affecting business is one of the most important services provided by HFIA. We provide members with detailed information on how and when to comply with new laws. What makes us experts on this subject is that we have been the food industry’s lobbyist, on State and County laws and rules for the past thirty eight years.