The MU Nutrition Center for Health (MUNCH) is a 3,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art nutrition research facility. It features a fully equipped metabolic research kitchen and an eat-in dining area that can be sectioned off, allowing the space to function simultaneously as a research kitchen and a teaching kitchen.
Designed for both precision and versatility, MUNCH has the capacity of a high-volume kitchen combined with the accuracy of a scientific laboratory. The dining/teaching area accommodates up to 24 guests for seated dining or 40 participants for demonstrations.
The facility is overseen by a ServSafe® Certified Instructor and Chef, ensuring that every project maintains the highest standards of accuracy, taste and safety. Whether your work involves a fully controlled feeding study, food product development, or culinary instruction, MUNCH can help you achieve your research and teaching goals.
If you’d like to discuss how MUNCH can support your next project, contact Chef Kenny Williams for a consultation.
Services Offered
- Controlled feeding and nutrition research
- Full metabolic diet studies with precisely controlled nutrient content
- Exercise studies requiring consistent intake between participants
- Medical trials with standardized meals across participants
- Supplemented feeding studies (adding specific foods to the habitual diet)
- Food intake observation studies
- Culinary and recipe support for metabolically controlled menus
- Product development and testing
- Kitchen rental for food product development and recipe testing
- Chef support for recipe refinement and nutrient analysis
- Teaching and demonstration
- Rental of demonstration kitchen for instructional videos or group classes
Contact
Chef Kenny Williams, williamsken@umsystem.edu
Location
MUNCH – MU Nutrition Center for Health
014 Gwynn Hall
526 Hitt Street
Columbia, MO
(Basement of Gwynn Hall)