Image by Maurizio Carta, used under Creative Commons license

At our recent RCFM Board Meeting, the members of the Board unanimously passed a motion to declare our market a GMO Free Zone.

We feel the expansion of GMOs into our mainstream food supply without labeling denies consumers the right to know what’s in their food and we felt it appropriate to make a statement on what our position was on this matter.

Of the three main GMO crops (canola, corn, and soy) we are only aware of GMO corn being grown in our region, and we will be monitoring the origin of any corn that appears at our Market as well as soy and canola products should a BC vendor apply that sells those.

There are some exciting developments in the struggle to achieve truth in labeling. In California,  volunteers are frantically collecting 500,000 signatures in order to force a referendum in the fall to have GMOs labeled. Polls indicate strong support for this initiative. In Guelph, Ontario, the research project to introduce a GE or “Enviro Pig” into the marketplace has been abandoned and hopefully the same fate will befall the genetically engineered salmon the company AquaBounty has been trying to get approval for.

We are joining other British Columbia communities: Powell River, Saltspring Island, Rossland, Nelson, and soon, Richmond, in making this declaration. Declaring ourselves a GMO Free Zone is more a reflection of our values than a heavy handed enforcement tool. We believe that one of the main reasons consumers are supporting farmers markets in record numbers is a lack of trust in the products being offered by conventional retail outlets. Declaring ourselves a GMO Free Zone is a commitment to the trust our customers have placed in us that we will do everything in our power to ensure the products being offered at our Market are GMO free.

Sincerely,

Andrew Murray

President

Royal City Farmers Market Association

We begin with the President’s Report from Andrew Murray, followed by reports from Market Manager Jen Arbo, Treasurer Sheila Rowswell and Vendor Liaison Will Tomkinson. Thanks again to everyone who came out in support of the Royal City Farmers Market!

Our 2009 summer market season proved to be as successful if not more so as our first season. Blessed with good weather for all but one market we saw significant increases in attendance and the number of vendors at the market. We averaged approximately 35 vendors/mkt. a 30% increase over our first year.

We were fortunate to become part of the Nutrition Coupon Program which allowed 50 low income families to come to the market and redeem coupons for fresh fruit and vegetables. The redemption rate was 88% and we’re hoping to be able to offer the program in 2010.

We also introduced Art in the Park this year which allowed local artists to come, set up and receive some valuable exposure in the community. Some were able to sell their work for the first time due to being at the Market.

We addressed our long term storage issue by purchasing a trailer mid way through the summer. Being able to store all our equipment in one place has saved us a lot of time as well as alleviating some aching lower backs.

Our website has been completely redone and is now a much more effective marketing tool. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter. It’s clear that social media is a very effective way of increasing our core support.

The Board made the decision to go ahead with a series of Winter Markets on a trial basis. We based our decision on the over 250 surveys we did during the summer market season. From the surveys it was clear there was demand for us to have a year round presence in the community. Our first two markets to date at Holy Trinity Cathedral have been well received and we’ll be evaluating the decision in the spring.

From a financial perspective the RCFM is on solid footing, our revenues rose significantly this season and we were prudent in managing our expenses. The hiring of Jen Arbo as our Operations Manager has proven to be probably the best decision we made all year. Jen has done a wonderful job for the Market and has demonstrated amazing organizational skills – plus she makes a pretty mean cup of chai tea!

The 2009 Board of Directors have been a dedicated and passionate group who have worked extremely well together this past year. It’s been a pleasure to be involved with them and I thank them for all their hard work.

The Nutrition Coupon Program is a provincially sponsored program aimed at low-income families.  The program aims to address the problem of childhood obesity by empowering families to offer healthy dietary choices for their children.  Participating families receive Farmers Market vouchers and a series of applied cooking lessons.

The Nutrition Coupon Program is a partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and the B.C. Farmers Market Association.  The program began in 2007 with one farmers market in each of the five different health regions participating. In 2008 the program doubled in size to 10 markets and this year in 2009 has again expanded to 15 markets across B.C.

Each family receives $15 worth of coupons to take to the Market to exchange for fruits, vegetables, dairy, cheese, seafood, and meat. There is also 8 hrs of hands on cooking lessons for each participant provided by local social service agencies.

The program has been a tremendous success and currently has a 95% return on the coupons.

This is the Royal City Farmers Market’s first year participating in the program. We are partnering with the New West Pregnancy Outreach Program run by public health nurse Lori Radburne to implement the program.

The Royal City Farmers Market will continue to search for ways to make the Market inclusive to all income levels in the city and we are confident the Nutrition Coupon Program will be a success here in New Westminster.