News-Record.com

Saturday's No. 2 editorial.

To most people, farmers’ markets mean “local.” People go to them to get produce that is grown in the surrounding area, not trucked in from hundreds of miles. They are places to find products made in the market’s region, not elsewhere.

In fact, the local aspect of farmers’ markets is their drawing card. People shop at these markets because they want to support local farmers and they want foods that are locally grown.
In a word, “local” is the farmers’ market brand.

Those running farmers’ markets, including the Greensboro Farmers’ Curb Market on Yanceyville Street, should be careful not to weaken the brand.

This notion should guide discussion on a policy the Greensboro market now is considering. If approved, it would allow a wider range of products to be sold there.

The policy would provide a way for existing vendors to sell food products not from the area. If such a product isn’t available in the area and they have a list of 50 people who would like to buy it, vendors would be able to petition the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, which manages the market, to sell it.

This would allow vendors to sell things such as cheese made by the Amish in Ohio, which apparently some Greensboro farmers’ market customers want and can’t get.

The policy does set a high bar for selling such products. The products would have to meet state and local health codes and their source would have to be clearly marked. Still, it might be better not to adopt it.

The Greensboro market already allows a wider range of products to be sold than some other markets. It allows vendors from all of North Carolina and surrounding states, while some markets only allow vendors from their own county and the counties surrounding it. Why further compromise the Greensboro market’s “local” brand?