Local Produce, Buyer Beware

Are Farmers Markets charging too much for locally grown produce. We investigate local markets to find out why those delicious vegetables are so expensive

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Ottawa
• Farmers
• Markets
• Local
• Produce
• price
• fixing
• Lansdowne
• Market
• Byward

[myViewQueens]

The farmers market make the glebe-tards feel good.

[TamaTee]

f you think you can take the word on the vendor, think again. I've seen Florida corn labelled "local." On the Lansdowne Market, everyone must sell what they grow. The market organizers ensure this by inspecting the farmers' fields. Therefore, the price the farmers charge is a fair price, not one that has been lowered due to price wars with resellers. I will always choose the Lansdowne market over Byward because I know what they sell is homegrown.

[TamaTee]

This report is uninformed. They are only focussing on the price and not looking at the real reason behind it. Local growers selling on the Byward Market must compete with those who buy from wholesalers. Those who do not grow their own produce will often drop the price on their less-than-fresh produce to compete with the growers. Then, in turn, the local growers must also drop their prices. So Byward will often have better prices, but there is no guarantee that the produce is local.

[melfoster54]

This has everything to do with reselling and imported produce! As I have stated before the Ottawa Farmers Market has a producer only policy (in other word there are no resellers allow, if you don't produce it you can't sell it.) and the Byward does not. In most cases the prices at the Byward are below the cost of production!

[melfoster54]

! The consumers of the Ottawa Farmers Market are highly educated consumers that understand the importance of supporting locale producers. They know and understand food security, the benefit of supporting our local community. As a consumer you need to make a decision do you want; food security and to support our local farmers or not.

[manchildforever9]

This has nothing to do with reselling imported produce unless we are to assume that the Rochons (and others at Lansdowne) are not growing what they are selling as we are led to believe!I will buy local but will not, on principle, pay double the price charged at Byward for the exact same product just because the market is down the street from me!

[manchildforever9]

Clearly the Rochons (and many other vendors) double the price of their produce at the Lansdowne Market because they believe that the Glebe residents can afford to pay more than their customers at Byward. This is a shameful marketing plan and demonstrates that these growers have little or no respect for their customers. This is price gouging at its worst!

[dktt28]

I'd rather buy my food from the person who grows it "down the street from me" and pay more, than to buy it from the guy who sells it for less but has no idea where it came from.

[melfoster54]

"Resellers" buy from wherever they can get the cheapest price, bottom line. They do not care if the product they are selling comes from the farmer just down the road or from the other side of the world. Because of this, the local farmer has to lower his prices to match the "Resellers" (example Byward). In many cases the "Resellers" cheap food prices are below the local farmer's cost of production. When that continues to happen, we lose our food security our local farmers and our future!

[melfoster54]

What I was trying to explain was that the OFM (Ottawa Farmers Market) has a no "Resellers" rule and the Byward does not. I have been told that the Byward is trying to encourage their vendors to buy locally, which is what most people want (except the "Resellers" of course). When the consumer buys from a local farmer they win by receiving the freshest produce, lessening their personal impact on the environment, food security, supporting the local farmer and the local economy, etc).