In May of this year, a new indoor food hall opened in Brussels, named Foodmet. This indoor food market has more than 50 stands with various products, including fruit, vegetables, herbs, meat, fish, poultry, olives, bread and cheeses.
Foodmet is the place to be for various food products from across the world. “In addition to the existing outdoor market, we also wanted to provide an indoor market on the site. There was already a meat market on the site, which had to be moved. The new food hall was a good opportunity for that. We got our inspiration from the Santa Caterina Market in Barcelona. The focus is on a wide range of food from all corners of the world,” says Paul Thielemans, PR manager of Abattoir, the market’s proprietor. “Outside, there are many stalls with a range of products, both food and non-food, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On busy market days, there are about 50,000 visitors. This is the biggest Belgium market for fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, fabrics, herbs, and more.”
No ‘high-end’
Inside the new food hall, next to the market terrain, people can shop their heart out for all manner of foodstuffs. Many fruit and veg companies have a stand in the new hall, particularly on the ‘islands’. For visitors, the market hall is a completely new experience. “With Foodmet, it’s not about ‘high-end’, like the Markthal in Rotterdam, but we focus more on the general public. Here you won’t find the most expensive and luxurious products, but the tastiest, at competitive prices.”
Abattoir 2020 – Urban Farming
Owner Abattoir NV has big plans for the coming years. New construction is planned around the market, as well as vegetable cultivation on the roof of the food hall. Room is also being made for Urban Farming in surrounding buildings. “If all goes well, in 2020 sufficient people will live around the hall. There will be a big square, with room for the market and various other activities. The plan is to create a liveable and pleasant living and working environment. We don’t have much influence on the buildings surrounding the market, but we hope the city of Brussels and other third parties will contribute to this. If this is in fact realized in 2020, it will be one of the biggest and most unique projects in Europe.”
paul.thielemans@abattoir.be