Farmers’ Market:

Like the rest of the nation, Hawai‘i’s farmers’ markets are a hit!  The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture’s list of Hawai‘i markets is here, and the federal list of Hawai‘i markets is here.  A list for O‘ahu courtesy of Honolulu HI 5 is here.

Currently, there are no federal, state, county or association standard best practices for farmers’ markets in Hawai‘i. Some states, counties and market associations outside of Hawai‘i have made either regulations or developed guidance and some examples are listed below. Thus, at the moment, an uncut raw agricultural product (called, “RAC”) sold in farmers’ markets has no regulatory oversight (as in the case in most states).  “Foods”, however, are regulated by the FDA Food Code 2013 and that authority is passed down to the Hawai‘i Department of Health. In Hawai‘i, the Department of Health’s Sanitation Branch issues Food Establishment Permits for those individuals or groups that have a permanent, mobile or temporary establishment and who want to sell “food”.

Farmers market standard operating procedures

An example of our new farmer’s market sign allows for audited farmers to promote their product’s attribute, including GAP.