As we head into the harvest season, farmers markets in Ontario are booming.
A visit to any of the dozens of markets in the region will prove that more and more people want to purchase their food directly from the producer.
Robert Chorney is the President of Farmers Markets Ontario, the organization that regulates official farmers markets across the Province.
He says the number of farmers markets in Ontario have tripled in the past 10 years from about 60 to more than 165 this year.
Chorney also says sales at those markets is now approaching 700 million dollars and the economic impact they have on the provincial economy is close to two billion dollars.
He calls Farmers Markets the sleeping giant of the Ontario economy.
Chorney says the markets are not recent phenomena as more than 28 markets in the province are more than 100 years old, with the Owen Sound Farmers Market being almost 140 years old.
He says there is a very rich history of tradition at markets across the province.
Chorney says his organization also is working hard to ensure that the farmers selling food at your local market, are producing that food, and not purchasing it at the Ontario food terminal, then selling it as their own.
He says they have introduced the My Pick Verified Local Farmer program.
Chorney says that where officials inspect local farms to see that they are growing the food they claim, then certify them and give them cards to hand out at the Farmers markets telling the consumers, they are the real thing.
