Farmers' market
Encyclopedia
- Farmers/producers sell directly to consumers, minimizing profit loss by circumventing the middleman.
- Consumers get to buy direct from the farmer/producer.
- Consumers can obtain organic fruits and vegetables from Certified Organic farmers
- Consumers get to enjoy fresh, seasonally-grown food that was produced within a drivable distance from their homes.
- More capital remains in the consumers’ community.
Farmers markets are 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, 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
Heirloom plant
An heirloom plant, heirloom variety, or heirloom vegetable is a cultivar that was commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but which is not used in modern large-scale agriculture...
and heritage breeds of meat and fowl.
Produce found at Farmers Markets is renowned for being locally grown
Local food
Local food or the local food movement is a "collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies - one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular...
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
American Farmland Trust
The American Farmland Trust is an organization founded to preserve farmland and ranchland in the United States and to promote sustainable agricultural practices....
, 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.
Farmers markets are a traditional way of selling agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and home manufactured products. A weekly market day is a part of normal life in village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s and town square
Town square
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
s throughout the world. A good way for a traveler to sample local foods and learn about local culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
is to attend market day, especially when it coincides with a festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
, such as the fiestas in many town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
s in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan 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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, 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 to 5,274 in 2009. In New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, there are 107 farmers markets in operation. In the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area, 88 farmers markets exist, many of which support Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
and Asian
Asian cuisine
Asian cuisine styles can be broken down into several tiny regional styles that have roots in the peoples and cultures of those regions. The major types can be roughly defined as East Asian with its origins in Imperial China and now encompassing modern Japan and the Korean peninsula; Southeast Asian...
fare.
New markets appear regularly, and existing markets—some well over a century old—are seeing renewed growth in both North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Since the first farmers market was established in the UK in 1997, the number has grown to over 550 nationwide.
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. 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, which is a major supplier of watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
s, cantaloupe
Cantaloupe
"Rockmelon" redirects here, for the band see Rockmelons. See also Cantaloupe .Cantaloupe refers to a variety of Cucumis melo, a species in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes nearly all melons and squashes. Cantaloupes range in size from...
s, and peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es for produce buyers in the north-eastern US. Farmers markets also may supply buyers from produce stands, restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s, and garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
stores with fresh fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s and vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s, plants, seedlings and nursery
Nursery (horticulture)
A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of...
stock, honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
, 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 & 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. 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. 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.
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.
Unprocessed Meat Cuts (steak, chuck, flank, etc)
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
Feedlot
A feedlot or feedyard is a type of animal feeding operation which is used in factory farming for finishing livestock, notably beef cattle, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations . They...
. 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
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
will not include a government seal and will not include any type of statement that classifies the vendor as a reseller/distributor.
The labels on retail beef and pork products that originate a vendor’s/rancher’s livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
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 supermarketSupermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s. 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
Maker
Maker is a village between Cawsand and Rame Head, situated on the Rame Peninsula, in Cornwall, United Kingdom.The name means a ruin in Cornish, but another Celtic name is Egloshayle, which means, the church on the estuary, a very apt description of the church's location.The village and its...
/producer prepares and packages the product according to the vendors’ recipe.
The Reseller (Processed Meats)
Wholesale processed meat products that are resold at farmers markets are known as Private Label products. 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.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.
The Independent Processor (Processed Meats)
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. 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 “localLocal food
Local food or the local food movement is a "collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies - one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular...
” is defined by the farmers market and usually represents products grown within a given radius measured in miles. 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 Distributor
Distributor
A distributor is a device in the ignition system of an internal combustion engine that routes high voltage from the ignition coil to the spark plugs in the correct firing order. The first reliable battery operated ignition was developed by Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co. and introduced in the...
s. 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?
All vegetables and fruits have unique names that distinguish them from any other, whether they are for commercial use, for home gardening, or heirloom
Heirloom
In popular usage, an heirloom is something, perhaps an antique or some kind of jewelry, that has been passed down for generations through family members....
. A number or alphanumeric string usually identifies the newer commercial varieties. 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.
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.See also
- Carbon dietCarbon DietA carbon diet refers to reducing the impact on climate change by reducing greenhouse gas production.Individuals and businesses produce carbon dioxide from daily activities such as driving, heating, and the consumption of products and services...
- Farm to fork
- The 100-Mile Diet
- Vertical farmingVertical farmingVertical farming is a concept that argues that it is economically and environmentally viable to cultivate plant or animal life within skyscrapers, or on vertically inclined surfaces...
- AgritourismAgritourismAgritourism, as it is defined most broadly, involves any agriculturally-based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. Agritourism has different definitions in different parts of the world, and sometimes refers specifically to farm stays, as in Italy...
- Civic agricultureCivic agricultureCivic Agriculture is the trend towards locally based agriculture and food production that is tightly linked to a community's social and economic development....
- Community-supported agricultureCommunity-supported agricultureCommunity-supported agriculture, a form of an alternative food network, is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food...
- Local foodLocal foodLocal food or the local food movement is a "collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies - one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular...
- Farmers Market (Los Angeles)Farmers Market (Los Angeles)The Farmers Market is an area of food stalls, sit-down eateries, prepared food vendors, and produce markets in Los Angeles, USA. It also a historic Los Angeles landmark and tourist attraction, first opened in July 1934...
- Public marketPublic marketPublic markets are markets, in public spaces, where independent merchants can sell their products to the public. Typical products sold at public markets include fresh produce and baked goods, locally raised meats and dairy products, and various other food items and handcrafted goods...
- Street foodStreet foodStreet food is ready-to-eat food or drink sold in a street or other public place, such as a market or fair, by a hawker or vendor, often from a portable stall. While some street foods are regional, many are not, having spread beyond their region of origin. Most street food are both finger and fast...
- Street marketStreet marketA street market is an outdoor market such as traditionally held in a market square or in a market town, and often held only on particular days of the week...
- Wet marketWet marketA wet market is generally an open food market. Some of the common names include "Cultural Markets", "traditional markets", "Gaai Si", "Gaai See".-Terminology:...
- WWOOFWWOOFWorldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms , also known as "Willing Workers On Organic Farms", is a loose network of national organisations that facilitate placement of volunteers on organic farms. While there are WWOOF hosts in 99 countries around the world, no central list or organisation...
Further reading
- Burns, Arthur F. (1996) Farmers' Market Survey Report. Washington, D.C., U.S. Department of Agriculture