Panera Bread Removes Artificial Ingredients From Its U.S. Menu
Good news, Panera Bread lovers — the restaurant chain has announced that its entire menu offered in the United States is “now 100 percent clean.”
On its website, Panera Bread refers to its “No No List” (ingredients that will no longer be found in its pantry), as well as its clean food milestone achievements, which include:
Reviewing 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
Reformulating 122 ingredients, resulting in changes to the majority of Panera’s bakery-cafe recipes
Partnering with more than 300 food vendors on the clean food journey to innovate solutions, ranging from ingredient replacements to rethinking how foods are prepared
“Cleaning up Panera’s menu while maintaining the same or better taste was not an easy task,” stated the 30-year-old company in a press release. “Deli meats, bacon, and select bakery items were some of the most difficult challenges given the ubiquity of additives in these categories.”
The Missouri-based company added that the majority of the additives that have been removed from its selections — particularly FD&C colors, sodium benzoate, sodium nitrate, and sodium phosphate — “remain pervasive in retail and restaurant food today.”
While it may sound like a contradiction in terms, healthy fast food has become a reality.
“Panera has done a fantastic job at ‘cleaning up’ their ingredient list to offer fresher foods with fewer chemicals and preservatives,” Erin Palinski-Wade, R.D., who offers nutrition advice for families on MommyhoodBytes.com and is author of Belly Fat Diet for Dummies, tells Yahoo Beauty.
She points out that its lunch meats will still be processed, but the nitrates — which offer food additional color and extend shelf life, yet have been linked to multiple health issues, including migraines — have been removed. “Although you still need to watch the sodium,” adds Palinski-Wade.
The term “clean eating,” she explains, refers to consuming foods in their whole form with minimal additives, chemicals, and preservatives. “I don’t like the term since it seems to imply if you aren’t eating ‘clean,’ you are eating ‘dirty’ foods,” continues Palinski-Wade.
Generally speaking, she is in favor of the overall concept of clean eating. “However, just because a food is ‘clean’ from artificial ingredients and preservatives does not make it automatically healthy,” she adds. “If you were to eat organic cookies or candy every day, sure it’s ‘clean,’ but it can negatively impact health.”
For example, Panera Bread offers fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, “but you can also fill up on refined carbohydrates and added sugars, thanks to their selection of baked goods,” states Palinski-Wade. Also, refined flours, which may be found in Panera’s homemade breads, “should be consumed in moderation.”
But overall, she applauds Panera Bread for offering “a wide array of nutritious options.”
“Consumer and nutrition professionals are pushing for more natural ingredients and more transparency with the foods they eat, and I think they have done a great job with it,” she concludes.
Related: Taco Bell, Pizza Hut to Stop Using Artificial Ingredients
Related: Lean Cuisine Is Being Sued for Using a Preservative
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