Panera Bread Menu is Now 100% Clean
January 13 2017 - 7:00AM
Panera Bread (NASDAQ:PNRA) announced today that its entire U.S.
food menu and portfolio of Panera at Home products are now free
from all artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, and colors
from artificial sources as defined by the company’s No No List,
inclusive of 96 separate ingredients and additive classes.
Panera is the first national restaurant company to make such a
comprehensive commitment and, more importantly, to meet it.
Clean Facts
To achieve this clean food milestone, Panera:
- Reviewed more than 450 ingredients, delving several levels into
the 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 Panera’s bakery-cafe recipes
- Partnered with more than 300 food vendors on the clean food
journey to innovate solutions, ranging from ingredient replacements
to rethinking how foods are prepared
This is the latest step in a decades-long journey to offer
better food and make a difference in the lives of Panera’s guests
as outlined in Panera’s Food Policy.
Cleaning up Panera’s menu while maintaining the same or better
taste was not an easy task. Deli meats, bacon and select bakery
items were some of the most difficult challenges given the ubiquity
of additives in these categories.
Many of the additives removed – notably FD&C colors, sodium
benzoate, sodium nitrite and sodium phosphate – remain pervasive in
retail and restaurant food today.
Ron Shaich, Panera Bread, founder and CEO,
Comment
“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. He
concluded, “Panera’s clean food is foundational to serving food as
it should be.”
Sara Burnett, Director of Wellness, Comment
“This initiative required us to restock the pantry with 100%
clean ingredients,” said Sara Burnett, Director of Wellness, Panera
Bread. “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.”
Tom Neltner, Chemical Policy Director, Environmental
Defense Fund (EDF), Comment
“EDF congratulates Panera’s leadership, and hopes to work with
more brands to ensure that food and chemical policies prioritize
health and the environment for our children and future
generations,” said Tom Neltner, Chemical Policy Director, EDF.
“Panera’s leadership shows that consumer health can be a priority
in the corporate bottom line. If more brands followed Panera’s
approach to transparency, informing consumers and developing
institutional commitment, food would be healthier for all.”
For more information on Panera’s clean food commitment, visit
panerabread.com/cleanfood or
http://business.edf.org/files/2016/11/PaneraBread_CaseStudyFINAL.pdf
About Panera Bread
Thirty years ago, at a time when quick service meant low
quality, Panera set out to challenge this expectation. We believed
that food that was good and that you could feel good about, served
in a warm and welcoming environment by people who cared, could
bring out the best in all of us. To us, that is food as it should
be and that is why we exist.
So we began with a simple commitment: to bake fresh bread every
day in our bakery-cafes. No short cuts, just bakers with
simple ingredients and hot ovens. Each night, any unsold bread and
baked goods were shared with neighbors in need.
These traditions carry on today, as we have continued to find
ways to be an ally to our guests. That means crafting a menu of
soups, salads and sandwiches that we are proud to feed our
families. Like chicken and turkey raised without antibiotics on our
salads and sandwiches. A commitment to transparency and options
that empower our guests to eat the way they want. Seasonal flavors
and whole grains. And commitment to removing artificial additives
(flavors, sweeteners, preservatives and colors from artificial
sources) from the food in our bakery-cafes and our Panera at Home
grocery products. Why? Because we think that simpler is better and
we believe in serving food as it should be. Because when you don’t
have to compromise to eat well, all that is left is the joy of
eating.
We’re also focused on improving quality and convenience. With
investments in technology and operations, we now offer new ways to
enjoy your Panera favorites – like mobile ordering and Rapid
Pick-Up for to-go orders – all designed to make things easier for
our guests. As of September 27, 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. For more information, visit panerabread.com or find us on
Twitter (@panerabread), Facebook (facebook.com/panerabread) or
Instagram (@panerabread).
Media Contact: Jonathan Yohannan
jonathan.yohannan@panerabread.com
Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ:PNRA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ:PNRA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024