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Panera commits to sourcing cage-free eggs

Panera Bread announced today it will use only cage-free eggs by 2020, and is also reducing antibiotics across menus.

November 5, 2015

Panera Bread announced today it will use only cage-free eggs by 2020, and is reducing antibiotics across menus, according to a company press release.

"For more than a decade, we've been working to reduce antibiotic use and confinement across our supply chain," said founder and CEO Ron Shaich. "We are honored to have been recognized as one of the two best performing national restaurant companies in an independent report on antibiotics usage and transparency in September. While there is more work to be done, we are within reach of a menu without antibiotics and unnecessary confinement. We are committed to transparency — which means sharing where we are and where we plan to go. We encourage other companies to join us by transparently sharing their progress."

Highlights of today's announcement also included:

• Pigs (pregnant sows): 100 percent gestation-crate free in 2015.
• 100 percent of chicken and 100 percent of roasted turkey in sandwiches and salads raised without antibiotics in 2015
• Beef cattle: 89 percent grass fed, free range in 2015

The company is presently 21 percent cage-free relative to the approximately 70 million shell eggs, hard boiled and liquid egg whites prepared in cafe in 2015, Shaich said. All hens that supply shell eggs and hard boiled eggs for Panera also meet the standard for no antibiotics ever and are fed a vegetarian-only diet.

This year, Panera announced its entire pork supply — approximately 7 million pounds — is gestation-crate free, raised without antibiotics and fed a vegetarian-only diet, while 100 percent of its chicken and roasted turkey was raised without antibiotics.

"We're thankful for Panera Bread's leadership on animal welfare. Whether it's switching to 100 percent cage-free eggs by 2020, or the company's commitment to offer more delicious plant-based meals, Panera is demonstrating social responsibility goes hand-in-hand with being a successful national restaurant brand," said Josh Balk, senior food policy director of The Humane Society of the United States.