Markets can be a brilliant place to buy direct, but labels like “spray-free” or “organic” can mean different things. Here are three quick checks to help you buy with confidence:
1) Ask for the grower’s name and location. Credible stallholders are open about where the food was grown. Proximity matters—local supply keeps carbon and cold-chain low.
2) Check for specifics on sprays or inputs. “Spray-free” should mean no synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides. If they’re transitioning to organic, they’ll usually tell you what they’ve stopped using and what’s still in trial.
3) Look for regenerative signals. Mixed cropping, cover crops, compost use, and visible soil life are good signs. If livestock are part of the system, ask about rotations and rest periods.
Friendly, curious questions help build trust:
- “Do you use any synthetic sprays or fertilisers on these crops?”
- “How do you keep pests down?”
- “Are you trialling any regenerative practices or soil tests?”
If you’re a stallholder, make it easy: label your practices clearly (organic certification, spray-free, regenerative), and link back to your farm online so shoppers can verify. We’ll keep mapping and tagging markets across Aotearoa to make these claims easier to see.