Sourcing and Fact-Checking Policy

United Farmers Market researches from official and primary sources, ties every factual claim to a listed source with the date we read it, and checks those claims in a separate fact-check pass before an article can publish. This page explains what that means in practice.

Source order

When sources disagree or we have a choice, we prefer them in roughly this order:

1. State government agencies (departments of agriculture and health), statutes, and administrative codes.
2. USDA, including the Agricultural Marketing Service, Food and Nutrition Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Food Safety and Inspection Service, and National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
3. FDA, including the Food Code, labeling guidance, and allergen rules.
4. University extension programs.
5. The Farmers Market Coalition and official state farmers market associations.
6. Local government: county health departments and city market programs.
7. Reputable industry research, such as Institute for Justice reports, Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic materials, and peer-reviewed studies.
8. Primary company documentation: official pricing and help pages, recorded with the date we accessed them.
9. Credible journalism.

We do not treat forums, social media posts, or other content sites as sources for legal, regulatory, or numeric claims. They can tell us what to look up. They cannot be what we cite.

What must be sourced

Every legal, regulatory, numeric, historical, or scientific claim in an article is supported by an entry in that article's source list, and where it matters to the reader it is linked inline. We do not state a specific dollar cap, fee, statute section, date, or percentage without a source we actually opened. Each source entry records its title, publisher, URL, and the date we accessed it. When a claim cannot be sourced to that standard, we either remove it or say plainly that we could not find a reliable figure.

How we use sources

We read, understand, and write in our own words. We do not copy sentences from sources. Short quotations of statutory language, such as the exact wording of a required label disclaimer, are quoted and attributed.

Because rules differ across states and seasons differ across regions, we say which state or region a statement applies to. Seasonal articles carry a regional note. Regulatory articles say that requirements change and that readers should confirm with the official agency.

The fact-check pass

After drafting, each article goes through a fact-check pass that is separate from the copy edit. The reviewer:

• Confirms each claim against the source recorded for it.
• Confirms that each source in the list was actually consulted and that the access date is right.
• Checks numbers, statute citations, agency names, and dates character by character.
• Flags anything that depends on a law, price, policy, or platform feature so that the article is held for pre-publication review.

An article whose fact-check is pending or flagged does not publish. Articles marked for pre-publication review cannot go live until that review is cleared, regardless of their scheduled date.

Company and platform facts

When we describe pricing, plans, or features, including those of Local Cottage Foods, we use the company's official documentation and record the access date. Our recommendation does not change our obligation to describe fees, requirements, and limits accurately.

Recipes and food safety

Recipes are editorial recipes developed from standard reference methods and labeled that way. Preservation and canning statements cite the National Center for Home Food Preservation or USDA. Food-safety statements cite the FDA Food Code, USDA, or a state agency.

Photographs

Every photograph has its source and license verified before use and recorded in a machine-readable registry. Attribution appears on the page and on image credits. See the AI and editorial technology policy for our rule against AI-generated imagery.

After publication

Facts go stale. Each article shows the date its facts were last reviewed. When we learn that a law, price, or feature has changed, we update the article, its sources, and its reviewed date. Readers who spot something out of date can write to contact@unitedfarmersmarket.com. See the corrections policy and our editorial standards.