FAQs on Farmers' Markets | Shelf Life Advice

Consider following these tips to decrease the risk of food-borne illness:

• Don’t drink or buy unpasteurized juices, raw (unpasteurized) milk, or unpasteurized cheese.  Fresh, unpasteurized, chemical-free beverages may taste delicious, but they’ve been known to harbor E.coli, which can cause serious illness.

• Don’t snack on fruit until you’ve washed it well.

• Don’t buy canned (jarred) vegetables or garlic-in-oil unless you know these were prepared in an inspected kitchen.

Restrictions and prohibitions on what foods can be sold and how they must be handled vary from state to state and from community to community.  You might find the rules  in your state and community listed online.

Regulations about foods commonly differentiate between those that are potentially hazardous  and those that are not.  Some farmers’ markets may prohibit all potentially hazardous ones, but most prohibit only some of these and stipulate how those they allow must be handled.  Some foods classified as potentially hazardous include dairy products, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, sliced melons, raw sprouts, cut tomatoes, tofu, and garlic-in-oil mixtures.   All of these must be kept at the proper cool temperatures to avoid a dangerous level of pathogens.