News

Panera cleaning up bacon

September 21, 2016

Bacon is now part of a clean diet at Panera Bread. The chain announced today that all its bacon is free of artificial preservatives, flavors, sweeteners and colors from artificial sources prohibited by the company’s No No List, and sourced from pigs that meet Panera’s animal welfare standards for reduced confinement and antibiotics.

Panera’s clean bacon is made with six simple ingredients: pork, water, sea salt, sugar, celery powder and thyme extract. The clean bacon:

• Is cured without artificial additives. Celery powder is used as a natural curing agent, in place of additives common to conventionally cured meats, like sodium nitrite, sodium phosphate and sodium erythorbate.
• Includes no artificial flavors. No conventional liquid smoke or artificial flavor enhancements.
• Is sourced with animal welfare in mind. Since 2015, Panera’s bacon has been sourced from pigs raised on a vegetarian diet, without antibiotics or gestation crates for pregnant sows.

The journey to clean bacon was started by Panera’s No No List commitment but became a year-long passion project for the culinary team when head chef Dan Kish took the opportunity to rethink Panera’s bacon experience, according to a company press release.

"There are few foods as beloved as bacon," Kish said in the release. "As we approached the challenge of remaking bacon without artificial curing agents and preservatives, we took another step back to think about bacon as it should be: the perfect slice. My food philosophy is that if you’re going to truly enjoy an indulgence, like salty, smoky bacon, it should be the best you can get."

Culinary enhancements of the clean bacon, according to the chain, include:

• More belly: When making perfectly sized bacon strips, there are often broken pieces and trimmings. It turns out these bits work perfectly as chopped bacon for Panera’s salads, which allows the company to use premium cuts for its crumbles and helps minimize waste.
• Herb-brined: Inspired by a Thanksgiving turkey, the clean bacon is brined with aromatics, like thyme and seasonings, like sea salt and sugar.
• Extra applewood smoke: Panera has long used real smoke on its bacon, but chose to develop a deeper, more complex bacon flavor for its clean bacon by applying extra applewood smoke.
• The perfect bite: 25 percent thicker than before, for maximum crunch with minimal sliding on a sandwich.
• Crispier slices: Instead of being stored in the refrigerator, Panera’s clean bacon is now taken out of the oven and served at room temperature so that each guest enjoys crispier slices.

"Clean bacon is an example of how you can amplify when you simplify," said Panera founder and CEO Ron Shaich. "By removing artificial additives, we made a switch to better ingredients, better texture and, ultimately, better flavor. We’re not just offering clean bacon; it’s bacon that has been elevated in every way."

The Art of Bacon

Panera today is sharing a taste of its clean bacon at a gallery space in New York City’s Meatpacking District. The interactive space features Panera’s clean bacon story with the culinary team on hand to sample bacon-centric creations, like bacon mac & cheese and BLT sliders (not available in bakery-cafes).

"The Art of Bacon" gallery space will be open to the public from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 22 Little West 12th St. Panera is inviting bacon fans to celebrate their love of clean bacon on social media using the hashtag #baconfess.

In 2015, Panera served 2 million pounds — or more than 115 million slices — of bacon on its sandwiches and salads.