Our market is investigating a new location where part of the space is grass instead of asphalt. Are there any restrictions that we need to take into consideration?
Many farmers markets in Michigan operate on grass surfaces. Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) requirements on the topic specifically relate to vendors that are preparing food on-site. In this instance, part of their own licensing requirements may require that the surface on which they are preparing food is “able to be washed.” Since grass is not able to be washed, an alternative can be to put down a tarp, floor mats, or another durable, washable and slip-proof surface underneath their food prep area only.
Again, this only pertains to vendors preparing food on-site. If those vendors are licensed by their local county health department, they may interpret that MDARD requirement differently and not enforce it in that way.
All vendors not producing food on-site should be fine to set up on grass and all vendors doing on-site food preparation should check with the inspector who oversees their license.