The organizers of the Clarendon Farmers Market are hoping to move on from a pricing dispute that exploded into a full-blown, televised controversy last week.
The market decided to prohibit a vendor, C&T Fruits and Vegetables, from returning this week after other vendors complained about C&T’s low prices and questionable product sourcing. They said C&T’s ability to sell off-season produce proves that they broke market rules that require all produce be locally-grown by the seller.
The dispute became public when a TV reporter showed up with camera in tow and began asking people if they thought a vendor should be expelled for having low prices (spoiler: most people said they did not have a problem with the low prices).
In a press release that didn’t explicitly address the controversy, the Clarendon Alliance, which runs the market, noted that “All production locations must be within a 125-mile radius of Washington, D.C. A producer may not sell items purchased from another farm or supplier… The Clarendon Alliance reserves the right to reject applications from operations where the applicant’s participation in production is unclear.”
The market is held outside the Clarendon Metro every Wednesday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.