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Panera Plans to Eliminate Artificial Additives by 2017
ST. LOUIS -- Panera Bread Co. announced Tuesday it plans to remove artificial additives from the food menu in its bakery-cafes by the end of 2016.
The removal of additives -- including colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives -- is part of the comprehensive food policy the company unveiled yesterday. The policy, a “formal articulation” of the company’s values, “is expressed by a commitment to clean ingredients, transparency and a positive impact (on the food system) rooted in craft,” stated the announcement.
As of April 30, 1,800 bakery-cafes operated in 45 states and in Canada under the Panera Bread, Saint Louis Bread Co. and Paradise Bakery & Café names. The company’s largest franchisee is Covelli Enterprises, based in Warren, Ohio, which opened its first Panera Bread in 1997 and now operates more than 250 bakery-cafes.
Questions to Covelli on the food policy were referred to Panera’s corporate office.
Panera began to share infomration witn franchisees in May but the company has discussed its desire to talk more publicly about food policy for some time, said Kate Antonacci, director of societal impact initiatives for the company.
Panera's commitment to the core tenets of its food policy "extends back to our earliest days, when we set a course to be the antithesis of heavily processed and commercial food and change the way Americans ate by offering something better, something people could feel good about," Antonacci said. The policy "really codifies our values and clarifies our aspirations and intent to ever-improve the products that we serve," she continued. "We’re not perfect and we’re far from done. This policy provides a roadmap and accountability for continuous improvement."
"Panera was founded on the belief that quick food could be quality food," said Ron Shaich, founder, chairman and CEO, in a prepared statement. "We started by baking bread from fresh dough each day in our cafes. That commitment led to others -- like our early decision to remove artificial trans-fats, post calories on menu boards and invest in serving chicken raised without antibiotics. As we continue to make conscious choices about the food we source and serve, we realized it's also important to share what we've accomplished and where we're going."
The policy, which can be viewed here, focuses on the three areas -- clean ingredients, transparent menu and positive impact -- where Panera believes it can have a significant impact.
"We believe simpler is better," said Scott Davis, chief concept officer. "Panera is on a mission to help fix a broken food system. We have a long journey ahead, but we're working closely with the nutrition community, industry experts, farmers, suppliers and others to make a difference. We're pleased to publicly share our framework and intend to share progress over time."
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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