Each morning at 5:00 a.m., fifty people are working hard preparing, packaging and shipping today's lunch and getting ready for tomorrow's meals. However, four to five times per month the number of people in the MMSD Food Production Center (FPC) may double.

Those additional people are not staff members but students who come for a tour of the FPC. Primarily the tours are given to 1st and 2nd graders but occasionally older students, including those from MATC and the UW, also visit.

What is a FPC tour? We have a well-developed tour geared toward younger students. It normally takes about an hour and half. The tour consists of a video that gives students an overall view of the operation. It shows bulk products being delivered, stored, food preparation, packaging and delivery to the schools.

After the video, the group is divided into smaller sections of 6 to 12 students and an adult. These sections are taken on an actual tour by a FPC staff member. They are shown all aspects of operation and given information about food preparation and food safety.

We answer any questions the students have and try to highlight areas that we think they would be interested in. One example would be the ever-popular Cookie Monster in the Bakery.

Upon returning from the tours, the students reassemble in our break room. The last part of the tour consists of taste testing. Students are instructed on the basic of a taste test and then given a product to try. The products cover a wide variety of food. We use this opportunity to test new products or recipes and get our customers' input.

The students normally are shown how the product would look when it is served to them and offered a sample to try. Each student then fills out a simple survey. Their responses are often key to adding a new product to the menu.

Why bring your class on a tour? First of all, young students love it! They get to see where their breakfasts and lunches come from. They are surprised by the size and scope of the kitchen. We promote food safety to them, talking about hand washing, cooler and freezer temperatures and hair nets. It ends up to be an inexpensive field trip that the students enjoy.

For older students we customize the tour to the group's needs. Many of the tours to these groups have an occupational aspect to them. High school or MATC students may be interested in food preparation positions and university students often have an interest in dietetic or food management. A number of these students have ended up later spending a semester in FPC as an intern.

If we've whetted your appetite for a tour, please contact Sue Cotter, Quality Control Specialist, at 204-4003 in January. The tours need to occur in the morning in order for students to see the center in full production. Some if our staff leave for schools beginning at 10:15. We try to have all tours finished by 10:30.

Students enjoy the "taste testing" portion of the tour, giving their input on a possible new dessert item on the menu.


Soraya Thomas, left, and Paula Nieman, right, Cook IIs at the FPC, explain to students how soup is prepared for the school lunches.