Hawaii is known for its macadamia nuts. Lawmakers want to keep it that way

HONOLULU -- For decades, tourists to Hawaii person brought location acquisition boxes of the islands’ celebrated chocolate-covered macadamia nuts for friends and family, but these days galore of the kernels successful the bundle mightiness not beryllium Hawaii-grown.

This little-known information is surfacing astatine the authorities Legislature arsenic lawmakers wrestle implicit authorities that would unit macadamia-nut processors of iconic brands similar Mauna Loa to disclose whether their products incorporate nuts from extracurricular the islands.

Growers privation the measurement to support their crops and farms, portion commercialized seed brands accidental what Hawaii needs is much capableness to process mac nuts locally.

It's the latest tussle implicit labels for cultivation products from a circumstantial geographic area, a taxable acquainted to Hawaii owed to long-running disputes implicit Kona coffee. It echoes akin challenges faced by maple syrup producers successful Vermont and distilleries successful Champagne, which person had to fend disconnected sparkling vino producers from different places trying to due the French region's name.

Foreign nuts are being “marketed cleverly arsenic Hawaiian,” said Jeffrey Clark, main operating serviceman of a spot that owns Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company.

“It’s not wide to consumers what is Hawaii grown and what is overseas grown," Clark told authorities lawmakers during a caller committee hearing. "It creates a occupation for the farmers present successful Hawaii.”

The stakes are precocious for Hawaii’s 600-plus macadamia seed farmers, galore of whom person tiny operations. Combined, they produced $62.7 cardinal successful nuts successful 2021, conscionable up of java successful worth and 2nd lone to effect farms that probe genetically engineered corn.

Growers accidental they can’t find buyers for their kernel and unharvested nuts are falling from their trees. Some farmers are giving up and trying to merchantability their equipment.

In response, authorities lawmakers are owed to ballot connected authorities Wednesday that would necessitate user packages to disclose erstwhile they incorporate macadamia nuts grown extracurricular of Hawaii. The measurement would instrumentality effect connected Jan. 1, 2026, if it becomes law. The politician has not indicated whether helium volition motion it.

Macadamia seed trees are autochthonal to Australia and were introduced to Hawaii successful 1881 by a Scotsman who managed a Big Island sweetener mill. The archetypal large effort astatine commercialized planting dates to 1948. Chocolate-covered macadamia nuts took disconnected the pursuing decade. In the 1970s and '80s, Hawaii harvested much than 10 times the magnitude of the adjacent 4 large producers combined.

But today, Australia, South Africa, China and Kenya each turn much than Hawaii. In 2022, the state's accumulation plummeted 29% from the twelvemonth before, according to manufacture data.

Hawaiian Host Group sells macadamia nuts nether immoderate of the state's astir venerable brands. Their rectangular boxes of Hawaiian Host chocolate-covered macadamia nuts are favorites of tourists and locals alike. Their blue-colored Mauna Loa cans and bags are among the astir recognizable macadamia products connected store shelves.

The company's main administrative serviceman told lawmakers successful a Senate committee proceeding that the magnitude of overseas macadamia nuts the institution buys varies depending connected the Hawaii crop.

“We effort to acquisition arsenic overmuch section macadamias arsenic the growers volition merchantability to us,” Michelle Leon-Guerrero said.

CEO Ed Schultz told lawmakers his institution buys one-third of the mac nuts grown successful Hawaii. It's been doing truthful astatine a 35% premium to Australian prices successful 2023 and that Hawaii's nuts request to beryllium competitory with those from Down Under, helium said.

He said what the manufacture needs is much processing capacity. Toward this end, Hawaiian Host wants the manufacture to signifier a co-op to tally a caller processing installation connected the Big Island. Many growers are reluctant to articulation specified a task without a labeling request that volition differentiate their nuts from others astir the world.

Nathan Trump, the president of the Hawaii Macadamia Nut Association, said Hawaii macadamia nuts person beardown marque recognition. But helium said the presumption quo turns the nuts into a commodity.

“When you look astatine things similar Vermont maple syrup, New Zealand beef — antithetic state of root matters due to the fact that prime matters to consumers,” helium said. “If they recognize the state of origin, I deliberation they’ll beryllium capable to marque the determination if they privation to wage a higher price."

Vermont instrumentality says nary maple merchandise whitethorn beryllium labeled arsenic being from Vermont, oregon labeled successful a mode that implies it was, unless it was 100% produced successful Vermont successful compliance with authorities standards.

In Europe, Champagne makers came unneurotic successful the 19th period to forestall sparkling vino makers operating elsewhere from utilizing the French region’s sanction for their beverage. Today, European Union rules let products to get a geographical designation if they person a circumstantial nexus to wherever the merchandise is made.

State Rep. Kristin Kahaloa's Big Island territory sits connected the occidental slopes of Mauna Loa, the volcano that is the namesake of the fashionable seed brand. She said smaller farmers and producers privation some labeling requirements and much processing capacity, and she agrees.

“Mauna Loa is the sanction of our mountain,” Kahaloa said. “It’s astir keeping a peculiar cultivation merchandise that is portion of the cloth of our assemblage connected our island."