As many of us sit down to a Thanksgiving feast, some Oʻahu residents are pondering this question: Is food a human right?
It’s a question advocates hope will move from dining room tables to the ballot this time next year based on a proposal among the 276 that have been submitted to the Honolulu Charter Commission — 10% of which touch on agriculture and food access.
If voters were to ultimately answer yes, Honolulu would be the first city in the nation to do so, following the lead of Maine. Advocates view it as an important step toward fixing a long list of problems in the island’s food system that contribute to household food insecurity.
Public review period of the proposals begins in December as part of the monthslong charter amendment process…