Farmers Markets Unhappy With Permit Costs, Process

A single annual farmers market fee for St. Louis County vendors is a favorable solution to , elected county officials said Tuesday. 

The comments came during an executive session of the St. Louis County Council Justice and Health Committee. Attendees included representatives from markets in Clayton, Ellisville and Ferguson. The  was not represented.

Market directors are unhappy with the county's current system of two vendor permits required, saying it is burdensome and costly to small-scale farmers. 

One farmers market permit must be renewed every two weeks, and another permit for the season at each market were a vendor sells.

"We feel (it's) over-regulation," said Steve Jawor, owner of Great Harvest Bakery in Olivette.

The 10-year-old bakery has participated in four county farmers markets for the past eight years. But Jawor said he stopped giving away free samples of bread at the market in 2010 when the health department started demanding a fee for the practice. 

Jawor still gives out free samples at his bakery. He questions why he should have to pay a fee to do so at a market when he pays the health department $350 to inspect his bakery. He said the health department hasn't explained the additional fee to him. 

While a single-fee system would still represent an expense, it would also mean that the health department is not "nickeling and dimeing me to death," Jawor said. 

So the committee seemed prepared to take on a two-pronged approach. First, to move forward with exempting from permit fees any farmer who sells unprepared foods such as eggs and apples—as per state regulations.

Secondly, committee members said they would consider ways to develop a tiered permitting system for the 2012 season with one yearly fee for market vendors. A permit would list the markets where they may sell.

The cost of the fee likely would vary depending on whether the vendor is a farmer; provides free samples; or prepares food at the market and then sells it. 

Deborah Henderson, manager of the Clayton Farmer's Market, recommended that a tiered system further be broken down in the farmer category according to whether the farmer sells produce or foods that must be more carefully monitored for temperature and handling, such as eggs and meat. 

Vendors operating a food truck that already undergoes inspection by the health department would be exempt.

District 3 Councilwoman Colleen Wasinger of Town and Country said that anecdotally, the system "is not efficient at all." And since health inspectors already conduct regular checks at markets, it does not provide any additional value to safe handling of food. 

Henderson, with the Clayton market, said it's her understanding the committee will take the next two weeks to discuss how to move forward and then present a recommendation to the full council for consideration.