The Gastrocast

All that looks fresh, organic, and local may not be so. Or so it seems in London where the very term and meaning of "Farmer’s Market" is open for very broad interpretation. It is easy to see how it can happen. Without clear consumer knowledge and regulation, anyone wishing to cash in on the buzzword popularity of "Farmer’s Market" can easily set up a stall and begin selling whatever under the guise that it is from a farm, fresh, and somehow local. The unwary buyer can easily fall prey to the stall holders patter and unknowingly buy non-organic, out of season, imported goods all the while thinking they are purchasing from thier rural countryside.



This is as much the fault of the shysters trying to compete in a close market as it is too consumers who don’t pay attention to the message of the Pundits. As Farmer’s Markets gain popularity in the States we must be wary of these events as well. For a stall to be held at a so called Farmer’s Market then the goods for sale must be produced by the farmer selling it, must be organic, local and seasonal.  Does that me the farmer has to be present? No. And there can be cooperative stalls. But the tie from producer to consumer must be maintained. The stall holder should be able to answer all questions about the hows and whys of the goods sold. And above all the farmer, thier representative, or stall holder should be willing to invite you to the farm, be open to questions and suggestions, and provide you with the confidence to continue buying from them.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Barely weeks after trying to assure the the world that BSE, aka Mad Cow Disease, was not an issue in American Beef, the Agriculture Department has admitted there is a fresh case.

Popularity: 8% [?]