By: Katie Petersen<\/p>\n
At 4 a.m., as boxes of fish were transported through the warehouse and the display areas along the main corridor sat largely empty, it appeared that the merchants were preparing to open the fish market. But no: \u201cThey\u2019re wrapping up,\u201d informed B\u00e9reng\u00e8re Banquey, head of Public Affairs and Governance for Marche de Rungis, the largest wholesale market in the world. The wholesale buyers of Paris have already purchased their fish for the day, and it is now en route to caf\u00e9s, restaurants, and seafood sellers all over the city.<\/p>\n
Rungis, which sits on the outskirts of Paris now, was housed in the center of the city under the name\u00a0Les Halles<\/em> in the 12th<\/sup>\u00a0century. It was called the \u201cBelly of Paris\u201d by \u00c9mile Zola in his novel Le Ventre de Paris<\/em>, set in the 18th<\/sup> century. With the rise of the supermarket in the 20th<\/sup>\u00a0century, the central market was declared unhealthy, disorganized, and too small. It was moved to its current location in the beginning of the seventies, according to Banquey. The market is now largely hidden from public view, and all visitors must have a special pass to enter the facilities. Today, people miss being able to see the sources of their food, says Joanna Beaufoy, a research assistant in Paris.<\/p>\n Supermarkets, therefore, aren\u2019t the place to shop for many. \u201cAs a Parisian, you would never buy your produce from the supermarket, because it\u2019s just plain bad and expensive compared to so many other options,\u201d Beaufoy claims.<\/p>\n Rungis distributes mostly to smaller sellers, like independent produce stands. The supermarkets have their own distribution markets, Banquey says. Sometimes, they pay to use the storage facilities at Rungis, and even purchase food from the market. But not often.<\/p>\n For the most part, Banquey says, \u201cyou come to Rungis if you\u2019re a restaurant, and you want to have really good food.\u201d<\/p>\n The model that Rungis operates on is favorable for quality, according to Banquey. She explains, \u201cit\u2019s about what the consumer wants to buy instead of what the supermarket wants to sell.\u201d<\/p>\n This also leads to greater traceability. The market was not subjected to the 2013 horse meat scandal, in which many products labeled as beef were found to in fact contain horse, because, as Banquey says, \u201cthe process is completely transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n A butcher in the veal district confirmed Banquey. \u201cTraceability,\u201d he says, \u201cis to follow the veal from the slaughterhouse to the customer.\u201d The butcher not only knows from where his meat is sourced, but plays an active role in preparing it. He visits farms, examines livestock, and notifies farmers of what products he\u2019s planning on selling six months in advance.<\/p>\n He says the model also leads to greater customer involvement. \u201cSometimes the customer wants a special cut, and we cut what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n Some (Americans) might be put off by the transparency in food sources \u2013 the enthusiastic butchers surrounded by fresh, red meat. However, when asked among the hanging carcasses if she was shocked by anything when she began working at Rungis, Banquey answered simply: \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n She allowed, \u201cBut I\u2019m French.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: Katie Petersen At 4 a.m., as boxes of fish were transported through the warehouse and the display areas along the main corridor sat largely empty, it appeared that the merchants were preparing to open the fish market. But no: \u201cThey\u2019re wrapping up,\u201d informed B\u00e9reng\u00e8re Banquey, head of Public Affairs and Governance for Marche de … <\/p>\n