Also, to producing, farmers market visitors will also find local and artisanal items such as baked goods, dairy products, grass-fed meats and free-range eggs, locally cultivated flowers, prepared foods, and even local crafts. Whereas farmers markets offer a wide variety of local and regionally sourced products, they may also provide the only access to healthy, affordable food for many living in densely populated, low-income urban neighborhoods where such nutritious items are scarce. Farmers markets offer seasonally based foods, so the markets tend to operate more frequently during local growing seasons.
Key Takeaways:
- Farmers’ markets provide and sell more than a gorgeous head of lettuce or an exotic vegetable you can’t find in your big box supermarket. Whereas farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of local and regionally sourced products, they may also provide the only access to healthy, affordable food for many living in densely populated, low-income urban neighborhoods where such nutritious items are scarce.
- Typically in these neighborhoods, the only readily available and affordable food is from fast-food chains and convenience stores, which generally do not offer healthy options.
- This lack of access to fresh food is a chief factor in the rise in obesity and diet- related diseases in the economically disadvantaged population.
“Farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of local and regionally sourced products, and they may also provide the only access to healthy, affordable food for many living in densely populated, low-income urban neighborhoods where such nutritious items are scarce.”