Free food safety workshop helps Big Island food businesses comply

Hawaiʻi Commercial Kitchens will hold a free food safety workshop Thursday, Jan. 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Hilo Food Hub aimed at helping food entrepreneurs, processors and small-business owners shore up safety practices and stay compliant with regulations. The session is the first free workshop the organization is offering in 2026 and includes technical assistance from Hawaiʻi Farm-to-Car by Hoola Farms alongside a presentation by Chef Jess Devendorf of Temple Bar.

Organizers said registration was required, with an optional Zoom attendance option and a recording to be provided to registrants. The event is supported by the County of Hawaiʻi’s Agriculture and Food Security Initiatives Program and funded through U.S. sources, according to organizers, signaling continued public investment in local food-system capacity and resilience.

For Big Island vendors operating out of farm stands, food trucks, small commercial kitchens and home-based processing setups, the workshop targets the practical requirements that often determine whether a product can enter farmers markets, grocery shelves or institutional procurement. Strengthening food-safety protocols reduces the likelihood of product recalls, temporary closures and costly corrective measures that can cripple small operators. Technical assistance from Hawaiʻi Farm-to-Car by Hoola Farms is likely to emphasize on-the-ground supply chain and distribution considerations that matter to island businesses.

The Hilo Food Hub serves as an incubator space where producers can scale recipes, access shared equipment and meet licensing conditions. Hosting an in-person session there leverages that infrastructure while offering direct, local technical support. The inclusion of a chef from Temple Bar provides culinary and operational perspective that helps bridge regulatory requirements with menu development and production workflows.

Policy context matters for readers tracking support for local food systems. County backing through the Agriculture and Food Security Initiatives Program, combined with U.S. funding, reflects a broader trend toward channeling public dollars into capacity building rather than one-off subsidies. This approach aims to improve long-term food security on the island by expanding the number of producers who can meet health standards and supply local markets year round.

The immediate impact for attendees will be practical: clearer pathways to compliance, tools to reduce operational risk and connections to advisory resources. For the wider community, increased vendor compliance strengthens consumer confidence and helps keep locally produced foods on shelves and at events.

Our two cents? If you run a catering business, pop-up, farm stand or small processing operation, sign up, take notes and keep the recording. Meeting safety requirements now can save time and money later and make it easier to grow your sales across the island.