Real Food markets
Thanks for the mention of Real Food markets (June 2006). I don’t know if you have space to publish a reply, but this is what I’d like people to understand about producer-only farmers’ markets and other kinds of markets.
When I was director of (New York’s) Greenmarket, there was no local produce requirement for, say, fruit in pies. In other words, bakers (or farmers who baked) were not required to use local apples. I wanted to change that. The rule I proposed was simple: ‘If produce can be grown in the region, it must be.’ (That’s what we do in London and DC.) Second, there were 100% exotic value-added items, e.g. ginger jelly and marmalade.
Third, on cheese etc., there was no farmstead dairy rule. I tried hard to clarify and strengthen the rules about when you could buy in local milk for milk, cream, ice cream, and cheese. Even I couldn’t tell quite what the rules allowed. But it was clearly not 100% farmstead dairy.
At Real Food Markets, EVERY value-added item must have a ‘significant’ regional ingredient, and if the produce can be grown in the region, it must be.
In the market for local and traditional foods, what I stand for is truth in labeling.
If these debates are to continue, it’s important for market rules to be clear: to farmers, food artisans, market managers, journalists, and, of course, customers.
Nina Planck
www.RealFood.info