In the line of duty… Donning paper overalls and hairnets in search of inside knowledge!

This week, CW has been getting under the skin of the factory operatives at Gerber Juice for the lead story of the latest edition of Juicy News.

Before CW could be granted access to the controlled factory floor there was a strict process to go through. First we were handed a health questionnaire asking some probing questions – luckily we all passed as ‘risk free’! As a reward we were directed to a storeroom to pick out our factory outfits. These consisted of steel toe cap boots, protective trousers, a paper overcoat and a hairnet, finished with a hard hat to complete what you can see was a ‘striking’ look!

Ready for action, we entered the factory floor, which was just like a scene out of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory; only all around us we could see every kind of juice imaginable! The rooms were filled with delicious scents of fresh sweet fruit – and as we had arrived during a run of Innocent juice, the colours flying round the automated bottling lines made it a sight to be seen.

The feature we were writing followed the success of the factory’s latest BRC (British Retail Consortium) Audit, in which it achieved Grade A status for Food Safety. We were introduced to some of the key operatives on the floor who explained their individual roles within the manufacturing process and the various responsibilities they have towards ensuring the perfection of the whole process and end product – all of which allowed the company to be awarded the best possible grade from the audit.

Alison and Victoria, suited and booted on the Gerber factory floor