Letter to the Editor in regards to New York Times "Farmer`s Markets Go Beyond Green"

To the Editor:

Your article ("Farmer's Markets Go Beyond Green" on May 24) shows the growing confusion about what to eat and where to buy it. It is this very confusion that makes the rules governing Greenmarket so important.

Greenmarket requires participating producers to have a presence at the market and has an inspection system to ensure that products sold at our markets are locally grown. This sets us apart from markets that allow foods purchased for resale, often imported from thousands of miles away, at great fossil fuel cost, and a great detriment to flavor and nutrition.

Unlike markets that are business enterprises, Greenmarket is a not-for-profit with a mission to promote local producers, preserve family farms, and provide fresh, locally grown products to all five boroughs. Buying from local farmers who manage their farms sustainably is perhaps the most important ecological decision a customer can make. It preserves farmland, supports sustainable agriculture, and requires dramatically less energy than shipping food across the country or the world.

Greenmarket is constantly growing and will open eight new markets this summer, for the second year in a row. We are working with the Bloomberg administration and the City Council Speaker to expand the use of food stamps in our markets and to open new markets near healthcare facilities, in neighborhoods with limited access to fresh produce.

Our mission sets us apart and ensures customers that when they are shopping at a Greenmarket farmers market, they are supporting these principles. And when you buy food directly from local farmers, foods often picked less than 24 hours before your purchase, you’re in for one of the most extraordinary taste experiences of your life.

Marcel Van Ooyen
Executive Director
Council on the Environment of NYC