Whatever role you serve at your farmers market, we know that not only are you dedicated to ensuring shoppers have access to healthy, locally grown food and other high-quality products — but you’re also deeply committed to the safety of shoppers and the products they purchase. Never in MIFMA’s history has this mission been more important. In response to COVID-19, we want to share with you the following guidance and considerations on operating farmers markets in Michigan during this period of heightened public safety.
Farmers market managers should consult their local health departments and the State of Michigan for information pertinent to COVID-19 and current conditions in their community. You can regularly read the updates and recommendations available on their websites and sign up for any alerts offered by state or county-level health officials to stay the most up-to-date with what is being recommended or required.
Farmers markets are critical infrastructure because of the role they play in our food system and they can operate provided they follow health and safety practices.
According to the MI Safe Start Plan, the state has been divided into eight regions. Counties can be independently moved between six different phases of the plan based on the risk of the spread of the epidemic in their county. Based on the risk level across multiple counties, regions may be moved independently through economic engagement phases which describe how businesses should operate in that region. The epidemiological risk level for a county may differ from the economic engagement phase for the region it is in, however the modifications necessary to farmers market operations are based on the economic engagement phase for the entire region. To view the map and track the economic engagement phase of the plan your region is currently in, consult the MI Safe Start Restrictions site. The guidelines for farmers market operations have been updated based on the modifications markets are either required or recommended to make depending on which economic engagement phase of the plan their region is currently in.
Our recommendations for farmers markets operations during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic reflect best practices issued from a variety of state and national sources.
Resources
Guidelines and recommendations for Farmers Markets to modify their operations
Last update: 10-13-2020
Michigan State University Extension COVID-19 Hazard Assessment and Mitigation Program (CHAMP)
This new program assists farms and businesses involved in agriculture with developing a written COVID-19 control plan.
Marketing Your Farmers Market During COVID-19 Webinar
recorded 05-06-20 by the Illinois Farmers Market Association
Spanish Resources
Printable Signage
COVID-19 Handouts and Signs for Businesses and Employers
Available through the Bay County Health Department.
External Resources
- State of Michigan – official COVID-19 page for the state of Michigan
- Farmers Market Coalition – resources and news updates
- Food Safety and COVID-19 by the FDA- see excerpt below
- “Currently there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19. Foodborne exposure to this virus is not known to be a route of transmission.”
- MSU Extension Agrifood Safety – frequently asked food safety questions
- Guidance & Best Practices on Executive Order 2020-21 for Michigan Farm Markets & Agritourism Operations by Michigan Agritourism Association (MATA)
- Michigan Food and Farming Systems – resource database
- Taste the Local Difference – resources for small businesses
- California Alliance of Farmers Markets COVID-19 Response and Best Practices
- USDA Federal Rural Resource Guide
- CDC Considerations for Outdoor Farmers Markets