A YEAR ROUND AT RUNGIS | TF1 | Reportages

In the middle of the night the A6 highway is deserted. At exit No.3 panels indicate M. I. N. Those three letters mean the Rungis international market. It’s the biggest market for fresh produce in the world. 17 halls spread over 600 ha supply the whole of France with fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, dairy products and flowers. For a year, from season to season, we went to meet these traders of the night. In the Flower Hall, Cedric is a seasoned owner and salesman. Even though he is the head of one of the biggest outlets, the economic crisis has hit him hard. His customers rarely pay him on time: Cedric has to deal with more than €500,000 of unpaid debts. From Mothers Day, “the busiest day of the year”, to All Saints Day, to New Year, it’s one adrenaline rush after another. “Rungis is a drug, my drug. I can get just two hours sleep and then go to work and I’m happy.” In the Meat section we followed Marie, the only woman in this notoriously machismo world. To stamp her authority, this young boss blends tact with firmness. “Every night, it’s war, with my salesmen fighting to defend their scraps of fat”. Assisted by Jean-Christophe, her right-hand man in the halls, but also her fiancé in life, Marie is now at the head of one of the biggest meat companies. How does she cope with the multiple scandals, including the horsemeat furore, that have rocked the meat industry over recent months? “It’s the worst spring I’ve ever seen”. Fred, over in Fruit and Vegetables, is in a bad mood. We are in the month of May, his favourite period. However, it’s raining and it’s cold. His deliveries of cherries have rotted with the humidity. He is left with tons of unsold produce on his hands. He’ll make up for it at the end of the year with exotic fruits. “Oranges at Christmas are a thing of the past”. In the Seafood Hall, Jacky, a charming fishmonger, is passing on his knowledge little by little to his son before he takes his retirement. A main feature of the program is the art of negotiation. Through sheer obstinacy Jacky sometimes manages to get the price halved. But passing on the torch is not a smooth progress. “It’s not easy working with your son: he thinks he knows the business better than I do”.