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Farmers' market

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For the band, see Farmers Market (band).
Roadside farmers' market in Bridgehampton, New York, USA.
Farmers' market in Layyah, Pakistan at twilight.
Farmers' market in Lansing, Michigan, USA in autumn.

A farmers' market (also or farmers market) consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages. Farmers markets add value to communities:[1]

  • Farmers/producers sell directly to consumers, minimizing profit loss by circumventing the middleman.
  • Consumers can buy direct from the farmer/producer.
  • Consumers can obtain organic fruits and vegetables from Certified Organic farmers
  • Consumers can enjoy fresh, seasonally-grown food that was produced within a drivable distance from their homes.
  • More capital remains in the consumers’ community.

Farmers markets exist worldwide and reflect their area's culture and economy. Their size ranges from a few stalls to several city blocks. In some cultures, live animals, imported delicacies unavailable locally, and personal goods and crafts are sold.

Such markets were commonplace before the Industrial age but most were replaced in modernized cities with grocery stores and supermarkets that sell food that is usually produced, packaged, and shipped from remote places.

Farmers markets often feature produce grown naturally or organically, meats that are raised humanely on pasture, handmade farmstead cheeses, eggs and poultry from free-range fowl, as well as heirloom produce and heritage breeds of meat and fowl.

Produce found at Farmers Markets is renowned for being locally grown and very fresh. People argue farmers markets allow farmers to pick produce at the peak of flavor, preserve the nutritional content of fresh produce, and since locally grown produce does not travel as far to get to your table, the difference in mileage saves fossil fuels.

Advocates of Farmers markets state that the markets help farmers stay in business as well as preserve natural resources. Wholesale prices farmers get for produce are much lower than what they can get selling retail. Farmers who sell direct to the public without going through a middle man get a better price. Preservation of farmland is important for the health of the environment and water supply is a widely held view amongst people in developed countries. According to the American Farmland Trust, sustainably managed farms conserve soil and clean water and provide a habitat for wildlife. Moreover, modern farmers markets help maintain important social ties, linking rural and urban populations and even close neighbors in mutually rewarding exchange.[2]

Farmers markets are a traditional way of selling agricultural and home manufactured products. A weekly market day is a part of normal life in villages and town squares throughout the world. A good way for a traveler to sample local foods and learn about local culture is to attend market day, especially when it coincides with a festival, such as the fiestas in many towns in Latin America. In France and other European countries, there exist street markets, as well as covered marketplaces, where farmers and purveyors sell. Farmers markets are starting to appear online.

In the U.S. and Canada, due in part to the increased interest in healthier foods, a greater desire to preserve local types of cultivars or livestock (some of which may not be up to commercial shipping or yield standards) and an increased understanding of the importance of maintaining small, sustainable farms on the fringe of urban environments, farmers markets in the US have grown from 1,755 in 1994 to 4,385 in 2006[3] to 5,274 in 2009.[4] In New York City, there are 107 farmers markets in operation.[5] In the Los Angeles area, 88 farmers markets exist, many of which support Hispanic and Asian fare.

New markets appear regularly, and existing markets—some well over a century old—are seeing renewed growth in both North America and Europe. Since the first farmers market was established in the UK in 1997, the number has grown to over 550 nationwide.[6]

Some markets are carefully managed, with strict rules for pricing, quality and vendor selection. Others are much more relaxed in their vendor criteria. While the usual emphasis is on locally-grown and/or food products, some farmers markets allow co-ops and purveyors, or allow farmers to purchase some products to resell. Sometimes there is fraud and products are mislabelled as organic or locally grown when they are not.[7] In some cases, fraudulent farmers markets sell regular grocery store vegetables, passing them off as organic or locally grown, to which are usually sold to unsuspecting tourists.

Some farmers markets have wholesale operations, sometimes limited to specific days or hours. One such wholesale farmers market is the South Carolina State Farmers Market,[8] which is a major supplier of watermelons, cantaloupes, and peaches for produce buyers in the north-eastern US. Farmers markets also may supply buyers from produce stands, restaurants, and garden stores with fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, seedlings and nursery stock, honey, and other agricultural products. Although this is on the decline, in part due to the growth of chain stores that desire national distribution networks and cheap wholesales prices—prices driven down by the low cost of imported produce.

Pork and beef products

A wide variety of beef and pork products are sold at farmers markets in the United States. Typical beef products include steaks, ground beef, jerky, and various types of beef sausage. Typical pork products include sausage and bacon.

Beef and pork products sold at farmers market in the U.S., like those of any other beef/pork product that are sold to the public, must originate from livestock slaughtered in a government (federal or state) inspected slaughterhouse.[9] Since government inspected slaughterhouses purchase livestock for slaughter, many often have the facilities, equipment, and personnel to supply meat products to distributors/wholesalers. Like restaurants, such arrangements are popular with farmers market vendors because they allow them to avoid the overhead costs (facility, equipment, knowledge, maintenance, food safety inspections, etc.) associated with producing meat products that may be legally sold to the public.[10][11] Such vendors are prevalent at farmers markets since the management of many farmers markets require that all meat products be made and packaged in a USDA inspected facility. This allows vendors to minimize investment and overhead costs by purchasing their products at a commercial slaughterhouse and reselling them at farmers markets.[12][13]

Meat products at farmers markets being sold by resellers will include a “Distributed by/Packed for”, or similar, statement on the labels of their meat products. Conversely, meat products being sold at farmers markets that are prepared and packaged by the selling vendor will not include a “Distributed by/Packed for”, or similar, statement.[14][15]

Unprocessed meat cuts (steak, chuck, flank, etc.)

File:Test 1.png
Example of Retail cut of beef resold at farmers markets in the United States

Unprocessed meat (retail cut) products found at farmers markets may include a government (usually USDA) inspection legend plus a Dist. By/Packed For/Prepared For label. Other information on the label will include weight, price, and safe handling instructions.

The official inspection legend includes an establishment number (EST) that identifies the last company that did the processing/butchering, packaging, and labeling of the product. Since the label includes the “Dist. by/Packed for” statement, the meat may come from the livestock of other farmers/ranchers or a corporate feedlot. The presence of a USDA or other government inspection legend identifies a meat product that was not processed and packed by the selling vendor. Meat products prepared and packed by the selling vendor/butcher will not include a government seal and will not include any type of statement that classifies the vendor as a reseller/distributor.[16]

Retail cut of beef from vendor's livestock sold at farmers markets in the United States - no "dist. by/packed for”, etc. statement

The labels on retail beef and pork products that originate a vendor’s/rancher’s livestock will not include the “Dist. By/Packed For/Prepared For” statement. Note that the label will still have an official/government Inspection Legend that identifies the establishment that performed the slaughtering, butchering, packaging, and labeling because any product leaving a slaughterhouse to be sold for human consumption must have a government inspection legend. For example, a label that does not have a “dist. by/packed for”, etc. statement ensures the buyer that, while the vendor did not do the butchering/packaging/etc., the meat did originate from the vendor’s livestock.

The label on a meat product that is processed and packed by the selling vendor will not include a government inspection legend and it will not include a “Dist. By/Packed For” statement.

Retail cuts of meat products sold by a vendor that performs its own butchering, packaging, and labeling will not include a government (USDA or state) inspection legend or a “Dist. by/Packed for” statement on the label. In such cases the vendor/butcher gets the carcass or other major cuts of meat from a government inspected slaughterhouse and does the secondary butchering (fabrication in USDA terms), packaging, and labeling in its own facility. A government (USDA or state) official inspection legend is not required on a package of meat butchered and packaged by such a vendor because it is sold directly to the consumer.

Processed meats (sausage, bacon, hot dogs, etc.)

Most processed meat products (sausage, bacon, hot dogs/frankfurters, snack sticks, etc.) sold at farmers markets have labels that include a “Dist. by/Packed for/etc.” statement as well as a government inspection legend. The government inspection legend includes an establishment number (EST #) that identifies the commercial processing plant that made and packaged the products; similar to a package of sausage or bacon sold in supermarkets.[17] Alternately, a processed meat product sold at a farmers market that does not include a “Dist. by/Packed for/etc.” statement and a government inspection legend is a product that is made and packaged by the selling vendor. There are also vendors that sell processed meat products that include a government inspection legend without a “Dist. by/Packed for/etc.” statement; such vendors are selling co-pack products in which the maker/producer prepares and packages the product according to the vendors’ recipe.[18]

Reseller (processed meats)

Example - Private Label/Wholesale Processed Meat Product Resold at Farmers Markets in the United States

Wholesale processed meat products that are resold at farmers markets are known as Private Label products.[19][20] Such products will include a “Dist. by/Packed for/etc.” statement plus a government inspection legend that provides a number that identifies the products producer. The numbers of critics of private label products are increasing as consumers become aware of poor practices often employed by the products’ producers.[21]

It is not unusual to find distributors/resellers of processed meat products at farmers markets because wholesale products allow vendors to minimize their investment by not having to pay for the overhead (knowledge, skills, equipment, supplies, maintenance, food safety inspections, packaging, labeling, etc.) required to produce their own products. A wholesale package of processed meat will bear a label that has a government (USDA or state) inspection legend. The inspection legend will usually have an Establishment Number (EST #) that identifies the processing plant that made and packaged the product. Additionally, the package will contain a phrase similar to “Dist. By: Steve’s Family Meat Company” or “Packed/Prepared for Steve’s Family Meat Company” somewhere on the label. Both the producer (identified by the EST. # in the inspection legend) and distributor/reseller (for example Steve’s Family Meat Company) will be identified on the label.

Independent processor (processed meats)

Example - Label on Processed Meat Product Made by Vendor and Sold at Farmers Markets in the United States - no "dist. by/packed for”, etc. statement

A product label of a farmers market vendor that makes and packages it own product will not include a “Dist. by/Packed for/etc.” statement and it will not have a government inspection legend because its products are sold directly to the consumer.[22] Information on the producing vendor’s label will include the following information:

  • Name of Company
  • Address
  • Product Name
  • Ingredients
  • Date Code
  • Safe Handling Instructions

It will not include a government inspection legend/seal.

Produce and fruit

Farmers market produce and fruit are normally grown within a geographical region that is deemed local by the market’s management. The term “local” is defined by the farmers market and usually represents products grown within a given radius measured in miles.[23] Many farmers markets state that they are Producer Only markets and that their vendors grow all products sold. Some farmers markets do not use the term “Producer Only” and may allow resellers of produce, fruit, and other food products.

Some farmers markets allow vendors to resell vegetables and fruits if they are not available locally due to the time of the year. Vegetables, fruit, meat, and other products resold at farmers markets are available to vendors through food Distributors.[24] This is a common practice and provides consumers with produce and fruit that are unavailable at certain times of the year. In many markets resell items are a permanent part of the vendor’s inventory.

There are four subject areas that consumers consider when they prefer to purchase from the actual producer:

  • Variety Name
  • Is the product in season for the locality?
  • Can the Market Manager vouch for the vendor regarding producer only?
  • Do any products have a PLU (Price look-up code) sticker on it?[25]

All vegetables and fruits have unique names that distinguish them from any other, whether they are for commercial use, for home gardening, or heirloom. A number or alphanumeric string usually identifies the newer commercial varieties.[26][27] Vendors’ employees might not always know the variety names of the produce they are selling but they will be able to get a list from their employer (producer). There are vendors that violate rules by reselling products at Producer Only markets.[28][29]

Dairy, poultry, and other products

Depending on the farmers markets, a wide variety of products are available. Poultry, lamb, goat, eggs, milk, cream, ice cream, butter, cheese, honey syrup, jams, jellies, sauces, mushrooms, flowers, wool, wine, beer, breads, and pastries are some examples of vendor produced products sold at farmers markets. Many farmers markets allow vendors to prepare and sell ready to eat foods and drinks.[30][31]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Economic Benefits of Farmers' Markets." Friends of the Earth. Accessed June 2011.
  2. ^ Robinson, J. M., and J. A. Hartenfeld. The Farmers’ Market Book: Growing Food, Cultivating Community. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2007.
  3. ^ USDA Agricultural Marketing Services (2006). Farmers Market Growth. http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/farmersmarkets accessed on Dec 6, 2006 at 1044:pm PST
  4. ^ Black, Jane (October 2, 2009). "Number of Farmers Markets Mushrooms". Washington Post.
  5. ^ New York State Dept. of Agriculture and Markets (2009) list of farmers markets. http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/AP/CommunityFarmersMarkets.asp accessed on Mar 7, 2010 at 1020:am EST
  6. ^ FARMA, Home of the National Farmers Retail & Markets Association
  7. ^ "False Claims, Lies Caught on Tape at Farmers Markets" text of news report by Joel Grover, Matt Goldberg NBCLosAngeles.com updated 9/23/2010 2:45:18 PM ET, accessed September 25, 2010
  8. ^ State Farmers Markets. South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  9. ^ [1], Code of Federal Regulations Title 9, part 317, section 2. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  10. ^ [2], Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Farmers Market Program. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  11. ^ [3], Washington State Department of Agriculture, Regulations for Specific Products. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  12. ^ [4], Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, Meat Processor Survey Results - Developing Producer & Small Processor Owned Meat Marketing Enterprises. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  13. ^ [5], United States Department of Agriculture - Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  14. ^ [6], U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Subpart A, Section 101.5. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  15. ^ [7], Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, part 1, section 5. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
  16. ^ [8], Code of Federal Regulations Title 9, part 303, section 1. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  17. ^ [9], USDA Fact Sheets, Meat Preparation. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  18. ^ [10][dead link], Colorado Department of Agriculture, Colorado Co-Pack Directory. Retrieved 2011-03-6.
  19. ^ [11], Private Label. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  20. ^ [12], Klement’s – Corporate Customers. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  21. ^ [13], The Faster Times – Generic Foods Investigation. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  22. ^ [14] Code of Federal Regulations Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, part 101, section 5. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  23. ^ [15], Durham Farmers' Market Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  24. ^ [16], Food for Thought: Do You Need Farmers for a Farmers Market? Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  25. ^ "IFPS FAQ". Produce Marketing Association. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  26. ^ [17], North Carolina State University, Department of Horticultural Science, Vegetable Cultivar Descriptions for North America. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  27. ^ [18], Mother Earth News. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  28. ^ [19], Organic Authority – Deceptive Vendors Discovered in California Farmers Markets. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
  29. ^ [20], The Alligator – Farmers market sees out–of–state food influx. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
  30. ^ [21], Tennessee Value-Added Agricultural Priority Program – Farmers Markets. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
  31. ^ [22], Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education – Marketing Strategies for Farmers and Ranchers. Retrieved 2010-07-06.

Further reading

  • Burns, Arthur F. (1996) Farmers' Market Survey Report. Washington, D.C., U.S. Department of Agriculture
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