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Michigan Farmers’ Market Association to Tackle Food Safety Issues in the Marketplace

July 2, 2007 : EAST LANSING, MI – The Michigan Farmers’ Market Association (MIFMA), in collaboration with partners Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS) and the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University, recently received a Consumer Food Safety Education Mini-Grant through Michigan State University Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition to focus on food safety at Michigan farmers' markets.

Farmers’ markets are one of the fastest-growing food venues in the state, especially for consumers seeking fresh, local food.

“ Michigan has more than 160 farmers’ markets statewide. If each market averaged just 500 customers per market per week, we have the potential to reach 80,000 people per week with food safety education materials,” said Susan Smalley, Michigan State University Extension Specialist.

However, it can be a challenge to determine which parts of Michigan’s Food Law apply to farmers’ markets and farmer-vendors.  Markets are looking for information that clarifies their responsibility and helps them to demonstrate their safe food practices to customers.

“MIFMA and partners are taking the opportunity to work with and through Michigan farmers’ markets and their several thousand farmer-vendors to improve their understanding of food safety issues, bolster their practices to ensure food safety and help them to provide appropriate and necessary information to their customers,” said Dru Montri, MIFMA project manager.

This project aims to build food safety awareness among farmers’ market customers, farmer-vendors and managers and increase easy accessibility of food safety information at the market.

Farmers’ market representatives, including both market managers and farmer-vendors, will be engaged to help develop and review educational materials on food safety and fresh produce. An informational bulletin for farmers’ market managers and farmer-vendors with clear information on Michigan food safety legal and regulatory requirements and recommendations to enhance the safety of food in their markets will also be developed.

Customer information bulletins providing take-home food safety information for products commonly sold in Michigan farmers’ markets and recipe cards including food safety recommendations relevant to products will be created for consumers and made available in English, Spanish and Arabic.

More information about food safety and educational materials will be available online at the conclusion of the project at www.farmersmarkets.msu.edu.

The Michigan Farmers’ Market Association is supported by a grant from Project for Public Spaces, Inc., with funding provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.