Panera Bread has released a list of ingredients they plan on taking out of their menus by the end of next year. By releasing a list of every ingredient they use, they’re spearheading the act of food chains becoming completely transparent with their customers.
There are shockingly over 150 ingredients on their No-No List of artificial preservatives, colors and sweeteners being removed.
Panera’s CEO, CEO Ron Shaich, said in a statement, "This is like our own 'Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval' that says: This is a transparent list of ingredients you won't find at Panera. This is truly the first, real salvo in the effort for food transparency,” USA Today reports.
Shaich also admitted this was a difficult task considering there’s 465 different ingredients in Panera’s food. “I want to serve food that's clean. I want to serve food that I feel good about my daughters eating,” he continued.
He also told Fortune, “My kids are eating Panera 10 to 11 times a week. I don’t want to serve them junk.”
First order of action actually starts on Wednesday, with any artificial flavorings or preservatives being removed from all salad dressings sold at Panera.
Panera Bread started this movement last year when they vowed to change their “Food Policy” to reflect more transparency and a commitment to using clean and simple ingredients.