Panera Bread is proud to share its progress in reducing confinement and antibiotics across its U.S. Panera Bread® and St. Louis Bread Co.® bakery-cafe menus.
Highlights include:
- Laying Hens (Eggs): 100% cage-free by 2020
- Pigs (Pregnant sows): 100% gestation-crate free in 2015
- Poultry: 100% of chicken and 100% of roasted turkey in sandwiches and salads raised without antibiotics in 2015
- Beef Cattle: 89% grass fed, free range in 2015
CEO comment:
“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. Shaich continued, “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 companies to join us by transparently sharing their progress.”
Laying Hens (Eggs): 100% cage-free by 2020
- Panera intends to move to 100 percent cage-free eggs in U.S. Panera Bread® and St. Louis Bread Co.® bakery-cafe food menus by 2020. This will include shell eggs, hardboiled and liquid egg whites in addition to those used in sweet goods, soufflés and dressings – a total of more than 120 million eggs system wide annually.
- 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.
- 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.
Note: Panera define cage-free hends as those raised in indoor barns that allow full range of movement.
Pigs (Pregnant sows): 100? gestation-crate free in 2015
- In 2015, Panera’s entire pork supply – approximately seven million pounds – is gestation-crate free, raised without antibiotics and fed a vegetarian-only diet.
Poultry: 100% of chicken and 100% of roasted turkey raised without antibiotics in 2015
- In 2015, 100 percent of the chicken and 100 percent of the roasted turkey served on Panera’s sandwiches and salads, more than 33 million pounds, is raised without antibiotics and fed a vegetarian-only diet.
Beef Cattle: 89% of beef is grass fed, free range in 2015
- In 2015, Panera will serve more than four million pounds of beef and 89 percent is grass-fed, free range.
Note: Grass-fed beef, for Panera, means that it was sourced from cattle able to roam freely and graze in pastures for the entire life cycle.
Stakeholder Perspectives:
“We’re thankful for Panera Bread’s leadership on animal welfare. Whether it’s switching to 100% cagefree eggs by 2020, or the company’s commitment to offer more delicious plant-based meals, Panera is demonstrating that social responsibility goes hand-in-hand with being a successful national restaurant brand.” – Josh Balk, Senior Food Policy Director, The Humane Society of the United States.
“We commend Panera for putting animal welfare at the heart of their business. They have recognized the sea change in the market. No business with integrity, or a future, is going to let cages or crates stay in their supply chain. This announcement shows their willingness to disclose exactly where they are at and where they are going in terms of animal welfare.” – Leah Garces, US Director, Compassion in World Farming
“Consumers want responsibly sourced food and Panera is listening. Businesses have the power to drive tremendous improvements for the way farm animals are treated and Panera is a leader in the tidal wave of change that is happening in the industry,” says Silia Smith, North American Regional Director for World Animal Protection. “We applaud Panera for committing to source 100% cage free eggs by 2020 and to transparency on reporting on their progress.”
Concluding comment:
“We know that guests are increasingly seeking plant-based proteins for personal health reasons and/or to reduce their environmental impact. To that end, we have been adding plant-based proteins like edamame and organic quinoa to our pantry of ingredients, so all guests can eat well the way they want,” said Sara Burnett, Director of Wellness and Food Policy.
To learn more about Panera Bread’s Food Policy and animal welfare commitments, please visit www.panerabread.com/foodpolicy.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Nov 5, 2015 6pm EST / 3pm PST / 11pm GMT / 12am CET