Quality Of Fresh Produce At Thai Markets Vs Supermarkets?

[sonic_11uk]

I had always thought that the fruits and veggies at the local markets were organic and grown locally and I've always tried to go out my way to buy at these markets to support the local community.

However, a friend told me that these stalls just sell stuff which they've bought from a wholesaler like Makro. Can this be true?

In terms of quality, would it be better to buy at a local market or supermarket - is there any difference?

[notmyself]

Organic lol

A rule of thumb I have found is that if the veg goes off after three days having been bought from a local market then it has most likely come from a supermarket.

[msg362]

A lot of stuff is bought in the big fresh veg market in CM ( Muang Mai), but in Sankamphaeng, a lot of it is local and fresh, but please don't think it's organic! far from it. Wash it well.

[SantiSuk]

I would say its the other way round, notmyself. Stuff from supermarkets lasts longer than from a local producer. Supermarkets must be using chemical preservatives to prolong shelf life I guess. Up to you whether you want to eat the chemicals or not. I do quite often!

Dont believe me? Just go and buy a carrot from each and wait and see which goes black first.

Stuff from my family's (Isaan) farm is either sold directly at the early morning (3am) local market by MIL/SIL, where other farmers also sell theirs or is collected in the evening after harvest by a wholesaler who consolidates and then sells at the bulk side of the local early morning market next morning. Early morning markets are where market traders, shops and restaurants come for supplies, but are open to the public. Some stalls are obviously bulk sale, but many will be my MIL etc and will sell in retail quantities. If you want stuff that came out of the ground yesterday then get up early and go to the early morning market, asking the vendor if the stuff you are buying is from their farm. Also buy the stuff that is in season - obvious when you survey what people are selling most of at the moment.

<p>Buying from the day market/night will often get you yesterday's pickings, but just as often it will be older stock that didn't sell yesterday. Day traders are in my view less honest about provenance (and weight%2

[xylophone]

As regards the OP's post, it would seem that irrespective of where one buys one's vegetables, Thailand really does not have any quality control on the amount of pesticides which can be used. An article in the Nation newspaper on August 21 showed some alarming levels of very dangerous pesticides being used not only in supermarket bought vegetables but also those from fresh markets. In some cases an alarming 202 times the amount of chemicals allowed by European guidelines.

I have attached the following link for those of you who are interested. Please read it as it will make you think and will certainly mean that you wash your vegetables very very thoroughly before you eat them.

The pesticides on our plates - The Nation

Source: nationmultimedia.com

The pesticides on our plates The Nation A consumer network discovers dangerously high levels of chemicals in the vegetables we eat

[ignis]

Most of the little local markets around the Villages near me are Farmers or owners of land, Fruit and Veg therefore is seasonal and very cheap.... Cheap compared to Markets in Bangkok or Supermarkets.... Of course the problem with the Village markets is you cannot plan ahead as until you get there you have no idea what might be For sale

Van that come in the Village we have 2 per day they buy everything from the Big Market late evening at Bang Yai ready to sell next day around the Villages at a price.. [last week bought 2 small onions from Van @ 5 baht each] yesterday at local market 12 baht kg !!