Consumers want the real deal at farmers’ markets

By Bob Chorney

June 18, 2007

Earlier this summer, Toronto gave birth to something rarely seen in the rest of Canada – certified farmers’ markets.

Sure, I know there are hundreds of farmers’ markets across the country, but what makes the two new ones in Toronto unusual is that all of the food vendors are farmers. That means no re-sellers; no hucksters who buy produce at wholesalers and then pass themselves off as farmers at local markets.

Re-selling is deceptive and also bad business because re-sellers drive down prices. Which is why the two new operations in Toronto and the handful of similar ones in Canada should be role models for all farmers’ markets.

Survey after survey shows that fresh food and a chance to support local farmers top the list of why people go to farmers’ markets. And those factors are becoming even stronger thanks to the local food movement and publicity given to concepts such as the 100-mile diet.

That’s why we received an instant and huge response to our two new Toronto markets featuring only “certified farmers” – that is, people whose farms have been visited and inspected to ensure that they are actually producing the food they sell.

We know that some consumers will wonder why they can’t get local broccoli in May or why Ontario strawberries aren’t as large as California ones. Farmers’ markets are not big grocery chains where you can get anything you want, any time of the year. Nor should they try to be.

People love the freshness of just-picked produce and they are also increasingly excited about the idea of celebrating local food as it comes into season, whether that’s asparagus and rhubarb in the spring or cole crops and pumpkins in the fall.

There’s a reason why Time magazine and others have labelled local the “new organic” and why consumers are flocking to local markets, eager to meet the people who grow the food they eat and willing to pay top dollar for fresh food.

Times have changed, and it’s time that all farmers’ markets did too.

For CBC commentary, I’m Bob Chorney, executive director of Farmers’ Markets Ontario at Presqu’ile Point, ON.

The website of Farmers’ Markets Ontario is www.farmersmarketsontario.com. To see the Time article “Eating Better than Organic” go to http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1595245,00.html