Lancefield Farmers Market will go ahead as scheduled on Saturday as lockdown restrictions allow.
Stallholders and organisers maintain the open air market with strict COVID-safe measures is one of the safest ways to access fresh, local and nutrient-rich foods.
Market manager Isis Jordan said both organisers and stallholders would be enforcing QR check-ins, social distancing, face coverings and good hygiene in line with state requirements.
“COVID may be here for a while longer, and farmers markets are one of the safest ways to access the healthiest, freshest produce because they’re an outdoor setting, in the open air,” she said.
“COVID has also highlighted how important local, sustainable food production is for our future. Local food can be distributed more efficiently, with lower risk of food insecurity, or hikes in food prices, while creating local jobs.
“It’s important for both the community and local producers to be able to support each other – especially in times of hardship.”
Farmers markets have continued to operate safely around the state throughout the pandemic but community fear of attracting people from COVID hot spots saw Lancefield’s market shut down for the first time in July 2020.
No COVID cases were ever linked to the market but it relocated from the town’s centre to various other sites until its return in November. It now operates across a larger area to further improve safety.
Regular stallholder Rafeal Fabris, of Rafael’s Coffee, said people needed to consider the market environment and work that had gone into it to make it safe.
“If you look at how the market is presented: everybody is socially distanced, people are using the QR codes, people can’t touch produce and put it back, you maintain a distance. But if you go to a supermarket, produce is handled repeatedly and put back on the shelf and the distancing is harder to manage,” he said.
“It’s also about having direct access to really good quality products – you can see where your products come from directly.”
Mr Fabris said for many producers or workers at stalls the markets could be their sole source of income.
“We have an opportunity to maintain that income stream for the people we employ and the stallholders, that’s critical,” he said.
The market, on this Saturday, will have 45-50 producers set up across the town’s three centre plantations, offering coffee, preserves, cordials, fruit and veggies, bread, dairy, eggs, honey and more.
