Unwrapped Season 3 Episode 13 Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Unwrapped is a food and travel show hosted by Marc Summers that uncovers the secrets behind some of the most popular snacks and treats. In season 3 episode 13, titled "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," the focus is on how some of America's favorite snacks get transported from factory to consumer.

The episode starts off with a trip to the Frito-Lay factory in Texas, where a massive assembly line is shown producing millions of bags of chips each day. After the potato chips are cooked, they go through a quality control process before making their way onto a conveyor belt that transports them to packaging and shipping. But how do they actually get delivered to stores?

Enter the world of commercial transportation – planes, trains, and automobiles. The show takes the audience behind the scenes to explore the different methods of shipping snacks across the country. We learn that trucks are the most commonly used form of transport, but planes come in handy for long-distance shipments. A team from the airline industry explains how planes are loaded and unloaded, and how they are equipped to carry everything from chocolate bars to cans of soda.

Next, we follow the journey of a shipment of Twizzlers from Pennsylvania to California via Amtrak. The train is shown hurtling across the country while stopping at various stations along the way to drop off and pick up cargo. It's a fascinating look at how, despite the rise of air travel, trains remain a crucial part of the transportation infrastructure.

The episode then takes us to a UPS distribution center, where thousands of packages and envelopes are sorted and loaded onto trucks that will deliver them to their final destinations. We see how the packages are scanned and tracked every step of the way, ensuring that they arrive at the correct address on time.

Unwrapped also provides a glimpse at the rare instances where snacks are shipped internationally. We are shown how a shipment of potato chips from Canada makes its way into the United States. We learn about the different regulations that come into play when transporting goods across borders, including customs clearance and shipping fees.

Throughout the episode, the focus is not only on the transportation of food, but also on the importance of packaging. We see how products are packaged to ensure freshness, protect against damage, and attract customers on store shelves. The hosts of the show go to great lengths to show how packaging has evolved over the years, from simple bags and boxes to more environmentally friendly options like compostable packaging.

In "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," Unwrapped takes a behind-the-scenes look at the often-overlooked process of getting our favorite snacks from the factory to our homes. From the intricacies of transporting food across state and international borders to the various forms of transportation used to move cargo, this episode is a fascinating insight into the life of food on the move.