Panera Bread releases “No No List”

Staff report

WARREN

St. Louis-based Panera Bread on Monday decided to publish the list of artificial additives it has eliminated or plans to eliminate from its U.S. food menus by the end of 2016.

The list includes artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives.

The artificial additives will be removed from the bakery items, soups and sandwiches. The “No No List” also includes the elimination of substances such as high fructose corn syrup and artificial trans fats. More than 150 ingredients will be affected.

Panera has consulted with experts to compile a list of common artificial ingredients, and its culinary team worked for more than a year to change the food menu, which included changing some recipes.

Panera bakery-cafes will offer new “clean” salad dressings without artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors or preservatives.

The Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad and the Kale Caesar salad are made entirely without these artificial additives.

About 85 percent of the ingredients on Panera’s food menu are in testing or have been rolled out without artificial additives.

Panera has more than 1,900 locations in 45 states and in Ontario, Canada. Warren-based Covelli Enterprises has more than 250 Panera locations in five states and Canada.

The “No No List” can be found at panerabread.com.