BREAD-ER BELIEVE IT
People are only just realising how pre-packaged sandwiches are really made and they say they’ve been put off for life
FROM egg mayonnaise to BLT, there's nothing more convenient than grabbing a sandwich on the go.
But few people know the arduous process behind the making of pre-packaged sandwiches, from the factory to the supermarket shelves.
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In a video from , which has been shared on by the Science Channel, people have been left horrified by the shocking reality of how the lunch staple is made - and some say they've been put off pre-packaged sandwiches for life.
Sandwiches are made in two different processes - depending on the costumer's request.
The first process, which is for sandwiches made with specific requirements and ingredients, involves a mix of both manual labour and programmed assembly lines.
Meanwhile, the second process, which is used for bulk orders which have the same ingredients, is a fully automated assembly line.
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The first process
The first step is to load fresh bread into an automated machine.
While doing so, workers visually inspect the slices and remove any with holes or other flaws.
Next, the machine separates the slices in the loaf, before an internal roller spreads melted butter on the bread.
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An automated machine then applies the right type and quantity of mayonnaise as the customer has requested.
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The worker then lays on more specific ingredients such as cold cuts or grated cheddar cheese.
Big blocks of ham are then placed onto an automatic slicer, which is programmed to cut the specified amount of ham needed for the bread slices.
The slices then make their way to the assembly line, where they're manually placed onto the pieces of bread which are moving on the belt.
The worker then closes up the sandwiches by hand and stacks them in piles of two, before taking them to a mechanised cutter, which slices the sandwich in two halves.
These are then packaged together as one sandwich later down the line.
Second process
A robot suctions up bread slices and transfers them onto a moving belt.
Positioning plates then move the bread slices so they're perfectly centered under the nozzles, which releases the exact quantity of ingredients onto every second slice.
Next, robotic arms flip the empty slices over to cover the empty slice of bread.
The sandwich is then cut into two halves by an ultrasonic knife, which gives it a neat, clean edge.
The robotic arm then pics up the slices and flips them around to stack onto the other half to form a complete sandwich for each box.
Finally, the robot picks up the sandwiches and puts them into triangular plastic trays, which are then forwarded to the sealing and labelling stations.
The narrator explains that the sandwiches will then reach stores within 12 hours - and they stay fresh for an additional three days.
Once passed the sell-by date, the sandwich company will remove any leftovers when making their delivery of new ones.
The video has since garnered a whopping 773k views - with many horrified by the lengthy process involved.
"It's been years since I've bought a pre-made sandwich and after seeing this I can confidently say it will be many more years to come before I buy another," wrote one.
A second penned: "Thank you for this video. No more eating packaged sandwiches!"
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A third noted: "And that's why I always make my own sandwiches."
Meanwhile, a fourth added: "Can you just imagine all of that equipment which probably needs to be sanitised after each production. Mindboggling!"
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