Vankleek Hill Farmers’ Market Vendor Protocol
For Sales of Locally Grown/Produced Food
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, farmers’ market operators and vendors are expected to comply with the recommendations and orders from the Eastern Ontario Public Health Unit (EOPHU).
https://www.farmersmarketsontario.com/covid-19-modifying-market-operations/
https://eohu.ca/en/covid/covid-19-guidance-for-farmers-markets
These recommendations include:
– limiting the number of people present in an area
– practicing safe physical distancing
– providing hand-washing facilities, and increasing cleaning and disinfection.
The Market has been approved to operate as a multi-vendor, multi-stand market and as an e-commerce model with a drive/walk-through pickup of pre-ordered and prepaid food (for food sales only).
Market Location, opening date and operating hours
Location: 79 Derby Avenue, Vankleek Hill (parking lot of previous Champlain DayCare)
Opening date and operating hours: June 20, 9:30am – 12:30pm
Stand Set-Up
1. Park your vehicle/trailer behind your designated area.
2. Use tables and other barriers to ensure customers keep a safe distance from you and your products.
3. Have a double-table setup (a table behind you with your food and a table in front for the customer). Consider all sides of your booth. Make sure customers are not tempted to come to your stand from the sides.
4. Have hand sanitizer available for both your customer and yourself.
Food Vendors should respect the following measures to protect themselves and customers:
1. Ensure all products are packaged and kept behind your table. This ensures customers will not handle your products before they have been purchased.
2. There is no use of reusable or customer-supplied containers in the market.
3. Only food items may be sold. Storage temperatures of –18ºC or colder are required for frozen food. Vendors may not sell crafts and artisan products.
4. All food available for sale must be prepackaged and no food samples can be distributed to customers.
5. Masks must be worn if physical distancing of 2 metres (6 feet) cannot be maintained or consider a plexiglass barrier to separate shoppers from you and your food.
6. Wash hands regularly and thoroughly (minimum 20 seconds) with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if hands are not soiled.
7. Clean and disinfect frequently-touched market stand surfaces or food vending vehicle surfaces regularly, ideally between each customer. Clean to remove dirt and organic material with soap and water. Disinfect with household cleaners or a diluted bleach solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. Ensure a minimum 2 minute contact time and allow it to air dry. Make bleach solutions fresh daily.
8. Keep a 2-metre (6 foot) distance from customers at all stages of making a sale or wear a mask/face shield. If using cash, it is recommended that you keep the cash you receive separately from the cash you use to make a change. Viruses can live on surfaces for up to 72 hours. If the cash you are using to make change has been isolated for this length of time, you will be handing clean cashback to your customers, stopping potentially infected cash from circulating throughout the Market.
9. Consider alternatives to cash, such as online pre-order/pre-pay, or portable debit/credit systems.
10. Try to round your prices to dollar values that will not require change. Have a designated area on the table for customers to leave cash. When cash accumulates, put on gloves and remove it, keeping it separate from the clean cash that you are using to make a change. Always wash your hands after handling cash.
11. Avoid lengthy conversations with your customers. The goal is to have customers get in and get out, so please encourage this in your own interactions as well.
12. Sanitize your hands after every customer interaction.
13. If customers touch your product without purchasing it, sanitize that item, remove it from your stock, or require the customer to purchase it.
14. Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
15. Cough and sneeze away from food and use a tissue. Wash your hands immediately afterward.
16. Do not attend the Market if not well.