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GREENSBORO - Lovers of the city's farmers' market have no trouble agreeing on what it shouldn't be: just another supermarket.

But when it comes to deciding what the market should be, it's a different story.

Dozens of farmers, vendors and customers showed up Wednesday night at a meeting of the city's Parks and Recreation Commission to deal with the issue of selling nonlocally produced foods at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market.

The issue has been brewing for some time. Some farmers say others are bending the rules aimed at keeping the market local, bringing in produce from elsewhere and not telling consumers.

Others say allowing exceptions can be vital to farmers trying to make ends meet.

The question came to a head recently, as market officials began enforcing the rules more strictly. Some complained, and the city proposed a new policy that would add a little more leeway when it came to selling foods not locally grown.

But the majority of those who spoke Wednesday were in favor of keeping the existing policy - or even tightening it.

The whole point of the market, some said, is that customers know they are getting locally produced food.

They know where and how it is grown, unlike food found in the grocery store.

"I feel like the integrity of the local farmers' market is being breached," said Lee Tate, one of the operators of the Goat Lady Dairy in Randolph County.

"Customers ... think they're getting local things, and they're not."

Others said allowing foods that aren't grown locally creates an uneven playing field between farmers who do that and farmers who sell only what they grow.

The real problem, some said, is that the current rules aren't being enforced well enough.

It is critical that the farmers' market be a market for local products, said vendor Daniel Woodham.

"We don't want a flea market. We want a farmers' market," he said.

But others, while agreeing that local foods are important, said that having some exceptions makes sense.

Ruth Foster, a regular customer, said she misses the butter and cheese she used to buy from an Amish family who brought it here from Ohio.

The current policy, which does allow some nonlocal food to be sold with special permission, is too arbitrary, she said. The Amish butter is gone, but some nonlocal ethnic foods remain, she said.

Customers also should have a say in what's allowed, she said.

Ultimately, the commission took no stand on the issue Wednesday, instead deciding to appoint a committee of its members to review the comments and come back with a recommendation at its next meeting Oct. 8.

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or at jason.hardin@news-record.com