Panera Bread is removing more than 150 artificial additives and other "no-no" ingredients from the food it serves.
Panera Bread is saying “adios” to artificial ingredients.
The restaurant chain, which runs 1,900 restaurants in the United States and Canada, published a “no-no list” of some of the ingredients it has already eliminated or plans to eliminate by the end of 2016.
High-fructose corn syrup, benzoic acid, artificial smoke flavor and dipotassium sulfate are just a few of the additives that Panera is nixing.
Another: The artificial sweetener sucralose, popularly known as Splenda. In 2013, a study found that sucralose could increase the risk of diabetes.
“We’re trying to draw a line in the sand in the industry so that consumers have an easy way to know what’s in the food they buy,” Panera's CEO Ron Shaich told the New York Times.
"I think someone at Panera is paying attention," chef and restaurant owner Bobby Flay told the "Today" show. "People want to eat better. They want to think that they are eating food that is better for them and good for them.”
U.S. & World
Panera is just the latest in a string of restaurant chains trimming their ingredient lists.
Last week, Chipotle Mexican Grill announced that it was phasing out genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, from its food.
Kraft recently said it was getting rid of the artificial orange coloring in its macaroni and cheese and replacing it with a mix of spices like turmeric and paprika.
And last month, McDonald’s said it would do away with chicken treated with human antibiotics.
