ST. LOUIS -- Fast-casual bakery-cafe chain Panera Bread announced Jan. 13 that its entire U.S. food menu and range of Panera at Home products are now free from artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners and colors.
Panera removed all ingredients on the company’s own No No List, which includes 96 separate ingredients and additive classes. To complete this shift toward a clean menu, as initially outlined as the goal in Panera’s Food Policy in June 2014, Panera went through the following steps:
- Reviewed more than 450 ingredients along its supply chain to ensure the removal of all artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners and colors from artificial sources
- Reformulated 122 ingredients, resulting in changes to the majority of its bakery-cafe recipes
- Partnered with more than 300 food vendors to innovate solutions, ranging from ingredient replacements to rethinking how foods are prepared
According to the company, cleaning up certain ingredients presented particular challenges. Deli meats, bacon and select bakery items were some of the most difficult “given the ubiquity of additives in these categories.”
“At Panera, we want to serve food we want our own families to enjoy. Offering a clean menu free from all artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners and colors from artificial sources is one way we can help our guests feel confident about the food they eat at Panera,” said Ron Shaich, Panera Bread founder and CEO.
“This initiative required us to restock the pantry with 100% clean ingredients,” said Sara Burnett, Panera’s director of wellness. “We are proud of accomplishing this feat, but we are even more proud of the potential impact we can have on the broader food industry. We continue to challenge our peers to make a comprehensive commitment to 100% clean ingredients.”
As of 2016, there were 2,024 bakery-cafes in 46 states and in Ontario, Canada, operating under the Panera Bread, Saint Louis Bread Co. or Paradise Bakery & Cafe names.
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