Narrator:
MANY SCHOOLS TODAY REQUIRE
TO BE ALLERGY-FREE
BECAUSE SO MANY CHILDREN
HAVE LIFE-THREATENING
TO PEANUTS,
TREE NUTS OR DAIRY PRODUCTS.
OFTEN, THESE ALLERGIES
ARE SO SEVERE
THAT JUST TOUCHING
OR INHALING THE ALLERGEN
CAN CAUSE A POTENTIALLY
DEADLY REACTION.
THESE KID-SIZED CHOCOLATE
CHIP BANANA LOAVES CONTAIN
NO PEANUTS, TREE NUTS
OR DAIRY PRODUCTS.
NOTHING ELSE THIS COMPANY
MAKES CONTAINS THEM
EITHER TO ELIMINATE
ANY POSSIBILITY
OF CROSS-CONTAMINATION.
AS A FURTHER PRECAUTION,
ALL THE INGREDIENTS
COME FROM SUPPLIERS
WHOSE FACILITIES ARE ALSO
ENTIRELY PEANUT,
TREE NUT AND DAIRY-FREE.
TO MAKE THE BATTER,
WORKERS FIRST COMBINE WATER,
CANOLA OIL AND SUGAR.
THEN THEY ADD PUREED BANANA
AND MIX UNTIL THE INGREDIENTS
ARE WELL BLENDED.
THEY ADD WHEAT FLOUR,
THEN SEA SALT,
BAKING SODA AND PRESERVATIVES
SUCH AS CITRIC ACID,
ROUTINELY USED
IN PACKAGED FOODS,
TO PREVENT THE GROWTH
OF BACTERIA AND MOLD.
THE FINAL INGREDIENTS
ARE EGGS
AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS,
NOT MILK CHOCOLATE
BECAUSE THESE SNACKS
ARE DAIRY-FREE.
INSTEAD, CHOCOLATE CHIPS
ARE CUSTOM-MADE
FOR THIS BAKERY
BY A PRODUCER OF CERTIFIED
KOSHER PAREVE FOODS,
MEANING THE PRODUCTS CONTAIN
NEITHER MEAT NOR
DAIRY INGREDIENTS.
A PUMP MOVES THE FINISHED
BATTER
FROM THE MIXING BOWL
TO A LARGE HOPPER
THAT FEEDS THE
AUTOMATED PRODUCTION LINE.
AT THE START OF THAT LINE,
MORE THAN 620 LOAF BAKING PANS
PASS UNDER SPRAY NOZZLES,
WHICH LIGHTLY GREASE THEM
WITH CANOLA OIL.
THIS PREVENTS THE BAKED LOAVES
FROM STICKING TO THE PAN.
THEN THE PANS
ENTER THE DEPOSITOR,
WHICH DROPS 1.5 OUNCES OF
BATTER
INTO EACH LOAF CAVITY.
THIS ONE BATCH OF BATTER
PRODUCES 6,666 LOAVES.
THE FILLED PANS ENTER
A MULTILEVEL VERTICAL OVEN
IN WHICH THEY ZIGZAG UP
AND DOWN 13 BAKING ZONES
OF VARYING TEMPERATURES.
AFTER 27 MINUTES,
THE LOAVES ARE FULLY BAKED.
HOWEVER, THEY CAN'T
BE PACKAGED YET
BECAUSE THEY'RE PIPING HOT.
SO THE NEXT STATION ON THE
LINE
IS A MULTILEVEL VERTICAL
COOLING CHAMBER.
ITS FANS DRAW OUT THE HOT AIR
WHILE BLOWERS INTRODUCE
FILTERED COLD AIR.
WHEN THE PANS EXIT
THE COOLING CHAMBER
ABOUT 25 MINUTES LATER,
THE LOAVES ARE JUST
SLIGHTLY WARM.
A ROBOT NOW DESCENDS
ON TWO PANS AT A TIME.
IT JABS THE LOAVES
WITH NEEDLES TO LIFT THEM OUT
THEN WITHDRAWS THE NEEDLES
TO DROP THEM ON A CONVEYER
BELT
THAT'S VENTILATED TO HELP
THE LOAVES FINISH COOLING.
THIS BELT TRANSFERS THEM
TO A NARROWER ONE
THAT LEADS
TO THE PACKAGING AREA.
THERE, WORKERS LINE UP
THE LOAVES IN SINGLE FILE
ON A TRACK THAT LEADS
TO THE WRAPPING MACHINE.
EACH LOAF IS ROUGHLY
3 1/2 BY 2 INCHES
AND 1 1/2 INCHES HIGH.
EVEN THOUGH EACH ONE STARTED
OUT
AS 1 1/2 OUNCES OF BATTER,
SOME MOISTURE EVAPORATED
DURING BAKING,
REDUCING THE FINAL LOAF
WEIGHT TO 1.4 OUNCES.
UNDER THE WATCHFUL
EYE OF A SENSOR,
THE LOAVES ENTER
THE WRAPPING MACHINE
WHERE PRINTED TRANSPARENT
FILM ENVELOPS THEM.
THE TWO EDGES OF THE FILM
OVERLAP SLIGHTLY
UNDERNEATH THE LOAVES.
THE MACHINE SEALS THE EDGES
WITH A COMBINATION
OF HEAT AND PRESSURE.
THEN IT SIMULTANEOUSLY SEALS
AND CUTS THE FILM
IN BETWEEN THE LOAVES.
EACH CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA
LOAF
IS NOW INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED.
WORKERS PACK THE SNACKS
INTO THE RETAIL PACKAGING.
THE BOX MOVES
INTO A GLUE MACHINE,
WHICH SEALS THE FLAPS.
THE BAKERY CONDUCTS
SEVERAL QUALITY CONTROL CHECKS
THROUGHOUT PRODUCTION,
FOR EXAMPLE,
TESTING THE VISCOSITY
AND PH LEVEL OF THE BATTER.
IT ALSO TESTS
THE FINISHED PRODUCT.
ONCE PER HOUR,
THEY CUT UP A LOAF
AND PLACE THE PIECES
IN A MOISTURE ANALYZER.
THE CORRECT MOISTURE
LEVEL ENSURES
THAT THE LOAF HAS
A PROPER CAKE TEXTURE
AND ISN'T DRY
BECAUSE AS MUCH
AS THIS SNACK NEEDS
TO BE SAFE FOR KIDS
WITH ALLERGIES,
IT ALSO HAS TO TASTE GREAT.
