[{"category_name":"Food","filter_type":"Sort by","field_name":"","type":"VALUE","table_name":"","item_list":["Ascending","Descending"]}

if (jsonStr != null) {
    try {

        foods = new JSONArray(jsonStr);


        // looping through All Contacts
        for (int i = 0; i < foods.length(); i++) {
            JSONObject c = foods.getJSONObject(i);

            if(c.getString("category_name").equals("Food")) {

                String category_name = c.getString(TAG_CATEGORY_NAME);
                String table_name = c.getString(TAG_TABLE_NAME);
                String item_list = c.getString(TAG_ITEM_LIST);

                // tmp hashmap for single contact
                HashMap<String, String> contact = new HashMap<String, String>();

                // adding each child node to HashMap key => value
                contact.put(TAG_CATEGORY_NAME, category_name);
                contact.put(TAG_TABLE_NAME, table_name);
                contact.put(TAG_ITEM_LIST, item_list);

                // adding contact to contact list
                foodlistfilter.add(contact);

            }
        }
    } catch (JSONException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
} else {
    Log.e("ServiceHandler", "Couldn't get any data from the url");
}

String str = "[{"category_name":"Food","filter_type":"Sort by","field_name":"","type":"VALUE","table_name":"","item_list":["Ascending","Descending"]}";

JSONArray jsonArray = new JSONArray(str);
//now it holds the JSONObject.
for (int i = 0; i<= jsonArray.length(); i++) {
 //now we loop through and get the jsonObject
 JSONObject jsonObj = new JSONObject(jsonArray.getJsonObject(i));
 //now it contains your data.
 Log.d("Category_nameValue=", jsonObj.getString("category_name"));
 //now we want to get the array from the item_list.
 JSONArray itemList = new JSONArray(jsonObj.getString("item_list"));
 //now itemList.getString(1);  === Ascending while itemList.getString(2) == Descending



 //now itemList contains several new objects which can also be looped as the parent one.
}

JSONArray itemList = c.getJSONArray(name)
for (int i = 0; i < itemList.length(); i++) {

}