[Market-farming] Eggs at Market
Allan Balliett
aballiett at frontiernet.net
Thu Apr 2 20:08:40 EDT 2009
Here's the deal in Jefferson, Co, WV (important because each countly
is different.
My wife 'complied' today.
2 hours at the health department.
She paid $100 'food premise plan' fee + will pay $68.50 license to sell eggs.
We CANNOT have our eggs in a cooler (also, if we could, we would not
be allowed to have the ice on top of the eggs as 'condensation may
occur and wet the cartons.') Our eggs must be kept cool by a
'mechanical cooler' which means an electric cooler. We got a lucky
break and a fellow who bought a van with a fridge unit and has the
stall next to us will let us keep our eggs in his cooler, which does
qualify.
However, this means that he must idle his van for the entire 4 hour
market! (How's that for 'health'?) (The van's motor powers the cooler
and the health department has told him that if a product is to be
sold at market that has to be cooled, the cooler must be 'on' for the
entire market.)
I concur that small farmers are being squeezed with 'one size fits
all ' healt laws and rules for the benefits of the corporate food
interests. Many farmers I know are dropping out of the farmers
markets rather than pay more than they can afford.
-Allan in WV
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