A farmers' market (also called a farmers market in the AP stylebook or farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a place where farmers sell food directly to people. These markets can be inside or outside and usually have booths, tables, or stands where farmers sell fresh fruits, vegetables, live animals, plants, and sometimes ready-to-eat food and drinks. Farmers' markets are found in many countries around the world and show the traditions and economy of the area. The size of a market can be small, with just a few stalls, or large, covering several city blocks. Because they are run by farmers, they often have fewer rules than regular grocery stores.

Farmers' markets are different from public markets, which are usually in permanent buildings, open all year, and include vendors who are not farmers, as well as packaged foods and items that are not food.

History

The idea of a farmers' market today is similar to older versions, but it has changed compared to other types of stores as shopping habits have evolved over time. Before the Industrial Age, similar markets existed, but they were part of larger markets where people sold food and other goods together. In the 1930s, trading posts appeared, which focused more on selling products from other sellers rather than their own. General stores and grocery stores later continued this trend, making shopping easier for customers while becoming less connected to how food is made and the complexities of production.

Modern food production has advantages over older methods because of fast, inexpensive transportation and fewer differences between products. However, transportation costs and delays cannot be completely avoided. When distance made it hard for industrial suppliers to reach customers, or when people wanted more local choices, farmers' markets stayed competitive. Starting in the mid-2000s, more people began asking for food that is fresher (travels less distance) and has more variety, which caused farmers' markets to grow as a way to sell food.

Benefits

Farmers' markets can help farmers earn more money compared to selling to large companies like wholesalers, food processors, or big grocery stores. When farmers sell directly to customers, their produce often needs less transportation, less handling, less refrigeration, and less time stored. Selling in an outdoor market also means lower costs for things like land, buildings, lighting, and air conditioning. Farmers can also sell leftover produce to factories that process food, keeping more profit. At markets, farmers can keep the higher price for some of their produce instead of only getting a lower wholesale price from processors. However, some economists say farmers' markets do not always improve energy use, food quality, or costs, even though they are enjoyable.

Some farmers like the direct way of selling to customers because it is simpler, faster, and more open. One idea from the Food Empowerment Project is community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs. In these programs, customers pay for food seasonally or monthly to receive regular boxes of produce. Sometimes, customers pay for an entire season’s food before the growing season starts. If there is a problem with the crops, customers might lose their money.

Benefits of farmers' markets for communities include:
• Helping keep strong connections between rural and urban areas and neighbors.
• Bringing more people to nearby businesses.
• Encouraging people to notice and care about their surroundings.
• Supporting local products, which can make communities feel unique and proud.

Reduced transportation, storage, and refrigeration also help communities by:
• Lowering energy costs for moving and cooling food.
• Reducing pollution from transportation.
• Lowering costs for roads, bridges, and other transportation systems.
• Using less land for storing food.

Farmers' markets can also help communities by creating new ways to share food that bring people together. With fewer middle people, local support for farmers can improve jobs and health in poor areas.

Some customers choose farmers' markets because they believe:
• There are fewer extra costs, like driving or parking.
• The food is fresher and in season.
• The food is healthier.
• There is a better variety of food, such as organic produce, meat from animals raised on pastures, free-range eggs, handmade cheese, and special kinds of fruits and vegetables not found in big stores.
• It is a place to meet neighbors and chat.
• It is a place to walk outside while shopping.

Evidence suggests that prices at farmers' markets are often lower than at supermarkets because the process of getting food to customers is shorter and has fewer steps.

Regional emphasis

Traditional public markets in Chinese cities are called "wet markets" (菜市场). Most of the people who sell goods in these markets are resellers. The Chinese government has tried to change these traditional markets into supermarkets as part of city improvement projects. This effort has caused some wet markets to decline in cities like Shanghai. However, in other cities, wet markets still exist and are the main place where fresh food and meat are sold. Because wet markets are important for keeping food available in cities, local governments provide support for them.

After 2010, farmers' markets in China grew in some large cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu. This happened during a time when people were worried about food safety. These farmers' markets (农夫市集) give local small farmers who grow food in an environmentally friendly way a place to sell their products in cities. This helps meet the needs of city residents who want high-quality food. Many of the people who sell at these markets use a system called community-supported agriculture.

In the European Union, efforts have been made to increase the number of farmers' markets to improve food safety and nutrition. These efforts are part of a program called "Farm to Fork."

The Farm to Fork program has three main goals:

• To create and check food safety standards in effective ways
• To work with countries and groups outside the EU that help manage food safety issues
• To follow the rules set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for research and scientific studies

The first farmers' market in the United Kingdom was created in 1997. Since then, the number of farmers' markets in the UK has grown to more than 550. In the late 1990s, the number of farmers' markets in the UK increased because of several reasons, such as more knowledge among consumers, challenges faced by British farmers, dislike of French products, and concerns about food safety and quality. People became worried about how food is grown, processed, and whether it is safe to eat. Books, magazine articles, and TV shows about cooking and gardening also helped raise awareness about food choices.

In the United States, the number of farmers' markets has grown over time. From 1,755 in 1994 to 4,385 in 2006, then to 5,274 in 2009, and finally to 8,144 in 2013. In New York City, there are 107 farmers' markets. In the Los Angeles area, 88 farmers' markets operate, many of which sell food popular among Hispanic and Asian communities.

In the United States, governments at all levels have given money to support farmers' markets. For example, federal programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, and the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program help low-income people buy food at farmers' markets. Examples of these programs include Austin's Double Dollar Incentive Program, Boston's Bounty Bucks, Chicago's LINK Up, Columbia Heights Festibucks in Washington, D.C., Fresh Checks in East Palo Alto, Market Match in Los Angeles, Michigan's Double Up Food Bucks, New York City's Health Bucks, Portland Fresh Exchange, and Seattle Fresh Bucks. These programs often receive help from nonprofit organizations.

Management

Many different groups start, plan, and run farmers' markets, such as farming groups, community groups, and local governments. Some markets have strict rules about prices, product quality, and who can sell there. Others have fewer rules and are more flexible. Most markets focus on food grown locally, but some allow co-ops, sellers, or let farmers buy products to sell.

Recent reports show that some markets have problems, such as selling vegetables that are not organic or locally grown but labeled as such. These markets sometimes sell regular grocery store vegetables to tourists who do not know the difference.

Some farmers' markets sell large amounts of products, often only on certain days or times. For example, the South Carolina State Farmers Market supplies watermelons, cantaloupes, and peaches to buyers in the northeastern United States. Farmers' markets also provide fresh fruits, vegetables, plants, seedlings, nursery stock, honey, and other farm products to buyers like produce stands, restaurants, and garden stores. However, this practice is becoming less common because large chain stores prefer national distribution networks and lower wholesale prices, which are often made possible by imported produce.

Product categories

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

Beef and pork products sold at farmers' markets in the U.S., like all other beef and pork products sold to the public, must come from livestock that were slaughtered in government-inspected slaughterhouses. These slaughterhouses often have the tools, equipment, and workers needed to supply meat to distributors or wholesalers. Farmers' market vendors often prefer this arrangement because it helps them avoid the costs of running a meat-processing business, such as building facilities, hiring workers, and meeting food safety rules. Most farmers' market vendors are resellers who buy meat from other businesses, while only a small number make and package their own meat products.

Meat products sold by resellers at farmers' markets will have a label that includes a phrase like "distributed by/packed for" or something similar. Meat products made and packaged by the vendor selling them will not have this phrase.

Unprocessed meat products, such as retail cuts, may have a government inspection label and a "distributed by/packed for/prepared for" label on their packaging. Other details on the label include the weight, price, and instructions for safe handling.

The government inspection label includes a number (EST) that identifies the last company that processed, packaged, and labeled the product. Because the label includes "distributed by/packed for," the meat may have come from other farmers or ranchers, or from a large commercial farm. The presence of a government inspection label means the meat was not processed or packaged by the vendor selling it. Meat products made and packaged by the vendor will not have a government inspection label or any statement that shows the vendor is a reseller.

Labels on retail beef and pork products that come from a vendor's or rancher's own livestock will not include the "distributed by/packed for/prepared for" phrase. However, these labels will still have a government inspection label that shows which slaughterhouse processed the meat. This is required for all meat sold to the public. For example, a label without the "distributed by/packed for" phrase tells buyers that the meat came from the vendor's livestock, even if the vendor did not process or package it.

Meat products that are processed and packaged by the vendor selling them will not have a government inspection label or a "distributed by/packed for" phrase.

Retail cuts of meat sold by a vendor who does their own butchering, packaging, and labeling will not have a government inspection label or a "distributed by/packed for" phrase. In these cases, the vendor gets whole carcasses or large cuts of meat from a government-inspected slaughterhouse and then processes, packages, and labels the meat in their own facility. These products do not need a government inspection label because they are sold directly to consumers.

Most processed meat products, such as sausage, bacon, hot dogs, and snack sticks, sold at farmers' markets have labels that include a "distributed by/packed for/etc." phrase and a government inspection label. The government inspection label includes a number (EST #) that shows which commercial processing plant made the product. These labels are similar to those found on supermarket packages. If a processed meat product does not have a "distributed by/packed for/etc." phrase or a government inspection label, it means the vendor made and packaged the product themselves. Some vendors sell co-pack products, where the manufacturer prepares the product according to the vendor's recipe, and the label includes a government inspection label but no "distributed by/packed for/etc." phrase.

Processed meat products that are resold at farmers' markets are called "private label" products. These products have a "distributed by/packed for/etc." phrase and a government inspection label that includes a number identifying the producer. More people are criticizing private label products as consumers learn about poor practices sometimes used by their producers.

It is common for farmers' markets to have resellers of processed meat products because this allows vendors to save money by not having to pay for the costs of running a meat-processing business, such as equipment, supplies, and food safety checks. A package of wholesale processed meat will have a government inspection label with an EST number that identifies the processing plant. The label will also include a phrase like "distributed by: Steve's Family Meat Company" or "packed/prepared for Steve's Family Meat Company." Both the producer (identified by the EST number) and the reseller (such as Steve's Family Meat Company) will be listed on the label.

A product label from a vendor who makes and packages their own meat will not include a "distributed by/packed for/etc." phrase or a government inspection label because the product is sold directly to consumers. The label will include the following information:

• Name of the company
• Address
• Product name
• Ingredients
• Date code
• Safe handling instructions

It will not include a government inspection label or seal.

Ideally, farmers' market produce and fruit are grown in a local area as defined by the market's rules. The term "local" is determined by the market and usually means products grown within a certain distance, such as miles or kilometers. Some farmers' markets are "producer only" markets, meaning all products sold are grown by the vendors. Other markets may allow resellers to sell produce, fruit, and other food items.

Some farmers' markets allow vendors to resell vegetables and fruit if they are not available locally during certain times of the year. Vendors can get these items from food distributors. This is a common practice that helps consumers buy produce and fruit that are not available at certain times of the year. In many markets, resold items are a permanent part of a vendor's inventory.

When buying food directly from a producer, consumers often consider four things:

• The name of the product
• Whether the product is in season
• Whether they can confirm where the product came from

Fraud

Some studies in the United States and Canada have discovered that some shops at farmers markets sell fruits and vegetables that are not grown on their own farms. In September 2017, an investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation used hidden cameras and found that some market stalls bought produce from large markets that sell to other businesses. These vendors then removed the labels that showed where the produce came from, which caused prices to be 50% higher than normal retail prices.

In 2017, Laura Reiley, a food critic and reporter for the Tampa Bay Times, found that some vendors at local farmers' markets sold produce that had been rejected by local wholesale markets or purchased from places far away. Some vendors first claimed the food was grown on their own farms, but when asked more questions, they admitted they had not grown any of the products for sale. In one case, the farm listed on the vendor’s information was not growing any food, and all the produce was bought from other companies. Fraud may be easy to notice when the food sold does not grow in the local area or is not in season. In the United States, federal rules require that the country of origin be listed on food labels at supermarkets, but not for small, independent vendors.

The Tampa Bay Times also found that packaged foods, such as sauces, honey, jam, and beef jerky, may seem to come from local vendors because of the local company’s name on the packaging. However, these products are often made in factories that produce goods for other companies using ingredients from non-local sources. In the United States, the FDA requires that the manufacturer’s name and address be listed on food labels, which can help identify this difference.

Health risks

Food safety rules sometimes have special rules for farmers' markets. In the United States, for example, produce that does not travel between states is not required to follow the FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act. Farmers' markets can lead to more cases of food-borne illnesses, such as norovirus and campylobacter.

Gallery

• Farmers' market in Taipei, Taiwan
• Fruits and vegetables for sale at a farmers' market in Farmington, Michigan, United States
• Cheese for sale at a farmers' market in London, United Kingdom
• Farmers' market in Rivière-du-Loup, Québec, Canada
• Farmers' market in Cubao, Philippines
• Farmers' Market (Apni Mandi) in Chandigarh, India
• Farmers' market in Chandigarh, India
• St. Jacobs Farmers' Market in Ontario, Canada