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Farmers Markets

Farmers’ markets, with their emphasis on fresh, seasonal produce and their hands-on approach to shopping, are a magnet for food-lovers. Factor in the shoppers’ chances to chat to the growers and possibly pick up a recipe from fellow food-lovers, and you have a formula for food-shopping success.

Farmers MarketsAnd successful they’ve been. The first British farmers’ market opened in Bath in 1997 (farmers’ markets as we know them were pioneered in the United States) and there are now more than 500 operating throughout the country. Each year we spend about £120m at farmers’ markets. So, how are they different from other forms of shopping? And what do they have to offer consumers?

What are farmers' markets?
Actually, there is no legal definition of a farmers’ market in Britain. There is, however, a common spirit that all farmers’ markets ought to share. In general terms, the stalls should be run by the farmers and artisan food-producers of the local area, who are selling their own high-quality produce. Customers should be able to ask the stallholder about the goods, increasing the buyer’s level of information and, therefore, adding to the sense of trust between buyer and seller.

Such direct selling has wider implications. It helps make small-scale, environmentally aware methods of farming and food production, such as organic, more viable - or even possible at all - because the producer gets a bigger cut than they would by selling through a shop or wholesaler.

Farmers MarketsThe benefits of buying at farmers’ markets are clear: you can find just-picked, seasonal vegetables, juices made from specific varieties of fruit, free-range and organic meat and eggs, and specialities such as regional cheeses - things you can’t always expect to find in supermarkets. You can also taste many of the goods on offer before you buy and enjoy the social buzz of a market day.

Are there standards?
The standards upheld at farmers’ markets are not always clear, however. Around half of the UK’s markets are members of FARMA, the National Farmers’ Retail and Markets Association, which aims to maintain the true spirit of the movement. Markets that are FARMA members will display a sign with the official logo. FARMA insists on particular criteria: goods must come from a defined local area; and they must be grown, reared, processed or caught by the stallholder. The organisation is shortly to introduce a scheme of producer inspection to ensure that goods are what they claim to be.

It's important to offer shoppers a different choice from the more conventional markets and shops or risk losing customers

Some markets go even further. The organisers of the ten markets run by London Farmers’ Markets have always visited every stallholder and insist, for example, that cheeses are made using milk from the producer’s own farm. Organiser Mark Handley believes it's important to offer shoppers a different choice from the more conventional markets and shops or risk losing customers. "There’s a pattern across the county where farmers’ markets don’t enforce the rules and they gradually creep further and further way from the principles," he warns. "The customers come but they don’t come back."

On the other hand, a benefit of face-to-face selling is that producers are more aware of their customers’ preferences - for example packaging their meat in trays rather than using the vac-pac method, which has been criticised by food writer Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall as detracting from the quality of the meat.

What about price?

Farmers MarketsFarmers’ markets are not necessarily cheaper than shops if the produce is of a higher quality

Even though farmers sell direct to the consumer, farmers’ markets are not necessarily cheaper than shops if the produce is of a higher quality. A slow-reared chicken that has pecked its way around the farm on natural foodstuffs for 20 weeks will cost more than one forced through quickly in six weeks in a shed and fed an unnatural diet. But you can get bargains, especially if you are shopping seasonally. And you can ask the farmers themselves about their goods to see if they are worth the money or not. Many proudly display production details on their stalls.

The future of farmers’ markets
The future of farmers’ markets looks bright. In fact, Gareth Jones of FARMA says that making regular farmers’ markets more frequent is ‘vital’. ‘We can’t maintain our momentum without making sure the offer is there every week. Otherwise people won’t be able to buy their fresh fruit and veg and change their shopping habits.’

In the US, where farmers’ markets have been around for longer, some markets are held twice weekly and some are now experimenting with 4-7pm opening hours in order to fit in with people’s shopping habits.

One of the limitations on farmers’ markets, however, is the number of producers and the amount of time they can spare to run their stalls rather than actually farming. This is one reason for the increasing popularity of farm shops and the recent small start of a new style of shop, the permanent farmers’ market, with regular opening hours. The Goods Shed in Canterbury, for example, has around 18 stalls, some run as co-operatives, as well as a restaurant with a menu changing twice daily, depending on what the stalls provide.

Even when markets are monthly, they may introduce you to produce that is also sold on-line or that may be available in local shops at other times: the event of a farmers’ market provides a crucial ‘shop-window’ for local food and drink as a whole.

How to find farmers’ markets
The FARMA website lists markets that are members of their organisation or have been independently certified. Most markets run monthly and some run fortnightly, or even weekly in places such as London, Bristol, Exeter, Taunton and Cardiff.

Hints and tips on farmers markets taken from the BBC food website.