Panera Bread took the pledge this week to be a little bit healthier. Wait, weren’t they already healthy? Well, the company pledged to phase out all artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, and preservatives by 2016. The brand promises to bring its customers “clean” and “simple” ingredients in all of their items on the menu.
The pledge comes as a result of customers growing awareness about the ingredients of the food they are eating. After it was revealed last year that the same ingredient used to preserve Yoga mats was used in Subway sandwich bread, customers became very weary about the ingredients in fast food items. Panera has experienced a decrease in sales, and is working to re-invent its image.
Many chains are re-branding in order to increase sales. Just recently, both, Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts, introduced a lunch menu, in order to lure their morning visitors back in for lunchtime. With the health food craze growing, chains like Panera are re-branding to actually include natural and real ingredients in their food. Much controversy has been raised over food that is advertised as “natural” or “organic” and actually has many fake ingredients that could be hazardous to our health.
With new attention to bringing its customers the most natural ingredients, Panera Bread also promises a method of “transparency.” This means that they aren’t going to try to hide or use false advertisements to misguide or mislead about what is being place in the food that they’re selling.
