News

Panera's menu goes 100% clean

January 13, 2017

Panera Bread announced today that its entire US food menu and portfolio of Panera at Home products are now free from flavors, preservatives, sweeteners and colors from artificial sources as defined by the company's No No List. It includes 96 separate ingredients and additive classes.

To achieve this clean food milestone, according to a company press release, 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, according to the release.

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, said Ron Shaich, Panera Bread founder and CEO.

"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," he said in the release. "Panera's clean food is foundational to serving food as it should be."

Sara Burnett, director of wellness, said the initiative required the chain to restock the pantry with 100 percent clean ingredients.

"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 percent clean ingredients," she said.

Tom Neltner, chemical policy director at the Environmental Defense Fund, said he hopes to work with more brands to ensure that food and chemical policies prioritize health and the environment for our children and future generations.

"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," he said.