When it comes to metal detection, once is a must, but two are twice as nice for ensuring safe products. That’s why Neri’s Bakery Products has back-to-back systems on each line, said Brett Neri-Ferraro, head of human resources and Safe Quality Food practitioner.

“A couple of years ago, our metal detectors were becoming out of date, and we bought new ones,” she noted. “Instead of throwing the old ones out, I kept them and had them recalibrated.”

Today, the older ones are placed before packaging and the new ones at the end of the line. Both are recalibrated annually.

“It costs a little more money, but it provides us with an additional level of food safety,” she noted.

Adding “insurance” to the bakery’s operation isn’t new. A few years ago, Neri’s teamed up with the local utility to install generators that were subsidized to run during peak periods when it needs electricity during the summer months.

But during Hurricane Sandy a couple years ago, the two 2,000-amp generators paid off tenfold.

“After it hit, we were the only ones running,” said Anthony M. Neri, general manager.

This article is an excerpt from the November 2019 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Neri's Bakery Products, click here.