Orange County Register

By Russell Koyanagi, contributing writer

Due to customer demand, in honor of Earth Day and to help the environment, vendors at Irvine Farmers’ Market will no longer offer non-degradable plastic shopping bags.

In the past year more and more customers have asked Trish Harrison, manager of the outdoor market for the Orange County Farm Bureau, why she hasn’t banned the use of plastic bags in the market.

As of Saturday, all traditional plastic take-home bags at the market will be replaced with bags that degrade and biodegrade quickly in the presence of moisture, bacteria and soil, as in landfills. The bags are also recyclable.

Harrison has also been working to encourage customers and vendors to move away from plastic bags and bring their own re-usable bags. Also, several vendors sell re-usable alternatives, including hand-sewn bags, carriers, mesh bags, baskets and more. These vary in price and range from $2 to $65, depending on the style, size, and other features such as insulation, she said.

This change has been in the works for several months, Harrison said. One of the most challenging aspects of the change was the availability and price of the alternative bags. Those made in China were too costly for the farmers and vendors to provide. The new biodegradable bags are made in the U.S. and are provided by “MonkeyJoeSpeak,” a company which specializes in eco-friendly products.

Vendors will now have the option of using the new biodegradable bags, paper bags, or no bags at all. Management and vendors will be encouraging all customers to provide their own re-usable bags to prevent the raising of prices to cover the cost of the new bags.

The Farmers’ Market features both organic and conventionally grown produce, locally grown on certified farms. Farmers come from Riverside, San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties bringing their fresh produce direct to the market. It also features other certified growers with such products as honey, eggs, cut flowers, orchids, plants and dried fruits and nuts.

There is also a non-agricultural section of the market with vendors selling fish, breads, bakery items, hummus, olive oils, tamales, granola, sausage, coffee, roasted corn and kettle corn. These vendors hold health permits from the OC Environmental Health Department that regularly inspects Certified Farmers’ Markets.

A craft section is also offered, featuring a variety of hand-crafted items such as jewelry, paintings, sweaters, purses, handbags, baskets, children’s items, homemade doggy treats and clothes, soaps, clothing, tablecloths, candles and more. Live music is also featured and there is a free raffle at 11 a.m. on the first and third Saturdays of the month.

The Irvine Certified Farmers’ Market is at the University Center at Campus and Bridge every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. For further information, contact The Orange County Farm Bureau at 714-573-0374, or e-mail them at ocfb@sbcglobal.net. You can visit the Web site at http://orange.cfbf.com/.

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