Update on 4/30/20
Designated Entrances, Now In Effect
Due to the Social Distancing Requirements from the City of Berkeley, enacted to keep the markets open and safe, we have created designated entrances at all three Berkeley farmers’ markets. Our markets are by far the busiest during the first hour, and lines to enter the market and shop with vendors are commonplace. (If you want to avoid waiting in line to enter, please try shopping in the second half of the market–there’s still plenty to choose from!)
Some of our most popular farmers–Riverdog Farm, Happy Boy Farm, and Full Belly Farm–also have long lines. To lessen your overall wait time for these particular farmers, we’ve added designated market entrances at their stalls, so that you can stand in one line that serves as both an entrance to the farmer’s stalls and to the market. Once you make your purchase at one of these farmer’s stalls, you can continue shopping with additional vendors in the farmers’ market.
If you plan to shop with multiple vendors and enter through a general designated entrance, not a farmer-specific one, please keep in mind that you may end up waiting in a line at the general entrance and in a line at the stall for one of these three popular farmers.
If you cannot wait in line, we highly encourage you to plan to arrive after the first hour of market, when lines are shorter or non-existent! Here’s how to navigate the entrances:
Tuesday South Berkeley: There are three ways to enter the market
- Full Belly Farm Line at Alcatraz St. (shop with Full Belly first, then shop the rest of the market)
- Riverdog Farm Line at Stanford St. (shop with Riverdog first, then shop the rest of the market)
- General Entrance on 63rd St. (wait to enter the market, then shop with all of your favorite vendors)
Thursday North Berkeley: There are two ways to enter the market
- North Entrance at Rose St.
- South Entrance at Vine St.
Saturday Downtown Berkeley: There are four ways to enter the market
- Milvia St. (wait to enter the market, then shop with all of your favorite vendors)
- MLK Jr. Way (wait to enter the market, then shop with all of your favorite vendors)
- Riverdog Farm (shop with Riverdog first, then shop the rest of the market)
- Happy Boy Farm (shop with Happy Boy first, then shop the rest of the market)
Update on 4/23/2020
Face Coverings Required as of April 22nd.
The City of Berkeley is now requiring that everyone over 12 years old must wear a face covering when out doing essential tasks in specific settings, including while waiting in line and shopping at the farmers’ markets/grocery stores. This includes staff, vendors, and customers. Customers will not be allowed to enter the market if they are not wearing a face covering.
There are limited exceptions to the requirement for people who have physical disabilities that prevent wearing a face covering, are not able to take a face covering off without help, or who have documentation from a medical professional saying they should not wear one.
You can read the City of Berkeley Mandate HERE
Update on 4/9/2020
As an essential service, the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets REMAIN OPEN, providing fresh, healthy food for the community. We are actively making operational changes to protect customers, farmers, and staff, and to mitigate the spread of disease.
If you are healthy, not in the high risk category, and not living with high risk people, please consider volunteering at our three weekly farmers’ markets. See details on opportunities and submit application here.
Update on 4/3/2020
As an essential service, the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets REMAIN OPEN, providing fresh, healthy food for the community. We are actively making operational changes to protect customers, farmers, and staff, and to mitigate the spread of disease.
The March 31st Order from the City of Berkeley, and the seven Bay Area counties, ordered residents to continue to shelter in place through May 3rd 2020, and required essential businesses to implement Social Distancing Protocols. As an essential business, the three weekly Farmers’ Market Protocols are posted on site at market, as well as one our website. These Protocols will be updated as information is shared by public health officials about best practices. See our Protocols by visiting this page.
Update on 3/27/2020
As an essential service, the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets REMAIN OPEN, providing fresh, healthy food for the community. We are actively making operational changes to protect customers, farmers, and staff, and to mitigate the spread of disease.
We continue to follow the guidance provided by the California Department of Public Health, as well as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
Starting Saturday, 3/28/2020 we will begin queueing customers at the market entrance, if the number of customers already in the market exceeds our maximum crowd count. We will then let queued customers into the market every 15 minutes or when the crowd count has decreased. Thank you in advance for your patience and kindness to market staff.
We need your help to keep the markets safe and healthy for all community members, by following these guidelines:
- Come prepared and limit your visit time. We ask that you come ready, shopping list in hand, so you can get in and get out quickly. Please treat the market as an essential activity not as a social activity. And, send only one family member if you can.
- Honor social distancing of six feet while at the market. Give space to those around you, at least 6 feet, while shopping and waiting in line.
- Observe all posted signage and demarcated lines, which signal where customers should wait, six feet apart, to order and pay for their products.
- Always stay home if you are sick. Visit the Berkeley Mutual Aid website if you need help with shopping. Follow this link to learn which of our vendors provide CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes and pre-orders.
- Wash hands often, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Please consider washing your hands before entering the market. We will have hand sanitizer and public hand washing stations set up by the Ecology Center information booth.
- Those who are high-risk (elderly and people with underlying health conditions) avoid coming to the market. Follow this link to learn which of our vendors provide CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes and pre-orders. We are currently working on exploring new ways to serve high-risk community members and will share more soon.
- As always, wash your fruits and veggies when you return home.
- Always cough or sneeze, into your arm or a tissue, away from people and food.
Update 3/21/20
The Berkeley Farmers’ Markets REMAIN OPEN, providing fresh, healthy food for the Bay Area community. We are actively making operational and procedural changes to protect customers, farmers, and staff and to mitigate the spread of disease, including following all guidance provided by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The City of Berkeley’s Shelter in Place Order lists farmers’ markets as essential businesses, and yesterday, the Governor issued a Stay at Home Order, affirming farmers’ markets as an essential service.
In addition to quickly integrating the CDPH guidance, here are some additional actions that we are taking to protect our community:
Requiring that our farmers, food vendors, and other market partners adhere to best practices as outlined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the exposure and spread of coronavirus COVID-19:
- Providing two hand washing stations and hand sanitizer for public use
- Ceasing food sampling at the market
- Requiring that all hot food be served to go (no seating); Eliminating self-service options
- Setting up all booths with additional spacing
- Asking that vendors control all product as much as possible, for example encouraging pre-bagging
- Posting prominent signage that encourage shoppers and vendors to practice social distancing of 6 feet from each other
- Suspending high touch activities at the market, including the Cafe and Kids’ Patch
- Instituting new precautionary procedures for market staff, including those handling money and other currencies, such as wearing gloves and more frequent hand washing
- Increasing the frequency that market staff disinfect market surfaces/objects
- Ceasing all non-essential activities in the market
As we modify market operations for public safety, we ask that customers please join us in helping to reduce the risk of spreading the virus by:
- Adhering to 6-foot social distancing while in the farmers’ market. Give space to those around you, at least 6 feet while shopping and waiting in line.
- Observing posted signage and demarcated lines, which signal where customers should wait, six feet apart, to order and pay for their products.
- Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used.
- We will have hand sanitizer and public hand washing stations set up by the info booth.
- Those who are high-risk (elderly and people with underlying health conditions) avoid coming to the market. Help your neighbors who need to remain indoors, by offering to pick up food and supplies at the market for them.
- As always, wash fruits and veggies when you return home.
Cough or sneeze into your arm or a tissue, away from people and food. - Always stay home if you are sick.
We believe that, like grocery stores, farmers’ markets are vital to our community’s food security and health. We are committed to supporting small-scale farmers who practice sustainable agriculture, and we always accept EBT and offer Market Match.
Our markets are rooted deeply in the community. We thank you for supporting local farms and small businesses, and for your kindness and patience as we all adapt to these changing times.
update 3/16/20
As many of you know there is a Shelter in Place Order beginning 12:01 am on 3/17/20 for Berkeley and the greater Bay Area. Farmers’ markets are currently protected as exempt from this order and WE REMAIN OPEN, as an essential business, a critical access point for fresh, healthy food. You can read the full order here.
update 3/12/2020
Greetings, farmers’ market customers.
As our understanding of the coronavirus (COVID-19) increases, the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets is taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. WE REMAIN OPEN and committed to providing you with fresh, wholesome food from local farms, to support your daily living.
Going forward we will continue to monitor local, state, and federal information sites (the City of Berkeley, Alameda County, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on a daily basis, and follow recommended guidelines to reduce the risk of exposure to Coronavirus for the Berkeley community, vendors, and our staff.
We have taken a number of proactive steps to mitigate possible exposure at our farmers’ markets including:
- Requiring our farmers, food vendors and other market partners to adhere to best practices as outlined by the CDC to reduce exposure and spread of Coronavirus;
- Ceasing food sampling at market;
- Instituting new precautionary procedures for market staff, including those handling money and other currencies, including wearing gloves and more frequent handwashing;
- Increasing the frequency that market staff disinfect market surfaces/objects;
- Suspending high touch activities at the market, including the Kids’ Patch;
- Providing hand sanitizer at info booth for customers, vendors and the public.
For the health and safety of the Berkeley Community we ask that you also take all personal precautions recommended to prevent contraction and spread of COVID-19 including:
- Stay home if you are sick
- Those who are high-risk (elderly and people with underlying health conditions) avoid public gatherings
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used
- Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth
- Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, with your elbow or with a tissue, which should promptly be disposed of
- Wash or sanitize hands immediately after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces
- Try new, low-contact ways of greeting your friends and loved ones, including an elbow bump or wave.
We hope at this time of uncertainty that the farmers’ market can remain a pillar for community health and greater transparency in the food system.
Sincerely, The Ecology Center’s Berkeley Farmers’ Markets
