Farmers Markets Are Essential! Please support Virginia’s farmers by sending this letter to the governor asking them to reclassify farmers markets.

During a pandemic, or other disaster, state and local governments often make determinations for classifications of various services and can create specific rules that apply to industries like food service. For the purposes of the current COVID-19 response, Governor Northam has classified Farmers markets as restaurants. This classification limits the public’s access to a critical service. Farmers markets in Virginia provide access to food and should instead be classified as grocery stores, thus allowing operations to continue during emergencies.

Farmers markets provide low-income families with nutritious food and offer fresh produce in food deserts. In 2018, $172,225 in SNAP benefits were spent at 70 Virginia farmers markets, and 60% of farmers market shoppers in low-income neighborhoods say that their market has better prices than grocery stores. According to the USDA, farmers who sell at farmers markets are more likely to stay in business than those that don’t. We need farmers!

Open-air markets are important and necessary food outlets for community members from all economic backgrounds across the DC metro area to purchase healthy, fresh, nutritious food. Farmers markets are essential to the livelihood of farmers and food producers. Shopping at farmers markets means you are supporting your local economy, which is especially critical in this time of uncertainty.

In addition to all of the information in this blog post, Our friends at the Virginia Farmers Market Association have prepared an expansive list of what customers and vendors can do to protect themselves during the Covid-19 pandemic, you can find that link here.

Thank you for your help and stay safe!

– Jen and Zach