New Farmer's Market guidelines has organizers and sellers speaking out

Every summer thousands of people walk through Regina’s Farmer’s Market looking for fresh foods, but a new set of proposed guidelines from the province could drastically limit what vendors are allowed to sell.

Tim Schultz’s micro-greens are on that list of restricted foods that cannot be sold if prepared in an “unapproved facility” like home kitchens. For Schultz, however, those micro-greens mean big business.

“This year we're projecting a quarter of all our vegetable sales would be the micro greens,” he said.

The manager of the Farmer’s Market, Ada Bennett, says the guidelines are too tough.

“There were some part of the guidelines that were very restricting,” Bennett said. “For those home bakers, it's going to restrict their business, what's the economic impact of that on that farmer?”

Also on the list are pumpkin pies, sprouts, perogies and most meats.

Wink Howland, President of Yorkton’s Farmer’s Market says these guidelines will stop people from putting items into the market.

“Simply if they all of a sudden have to have approved kitchens, if they have to take the food safety handling course, they will simply stop coming,” he said.

In an interview with CJME radio, Saskatchewan’s Health Minister Don McMorris said the government wanted to make sure people’s safety is front and centre. He also said he doesn’t see the new guidelines as “sweeping changes”.

Buyers to the market are concerned, nonetheless.

“I think they would take away people growing their own,” one said.

Now Schultz can only wait and see if his micro-greens make the final cut.

“It would make a huge impact really,” he said. “Not only is it a big part of our sales but it draws other customers to the other products we sell as well.”

The government hopes to approve these guidelines by the summer.