The first gathering of FIPDes Cohort 5 after New Years was at 4am in the morning. They visited the Rungis food market, the biggest fresh food product market in the world. Although it was early in the morning, the market was already full of the professional gourmets seeking for premier fresh food ingredients. It was a great opportunity for foods students to learn how the fresh food is distributed on the daily basis in a metropolitan area like Paris.

It was not only eye opening to see all kinds of food products from every corner of the world in one market, but also interesting to know the story of professional buyers in Rungis. Due to the freshness, fast turn over is necessary for Rungis, it is crucial to control the demand and supply, which all comes from years of experience. It was a nice touch to get to know more about the French culture through this visit.

Big wheel cheeses from Switzerland and France in dairy sector

Different kinds of tomatoes from all over the world in fruit and vegetable sector.

Chocolate covered rose in fresh cut flower sector.

Nan Ma (FIPDes student cohort 2015-2017)