By 2020, cage-free eggs and antibiotic-free meat will be on the menu at every Panera Bread in efforts to strengthen animal welfare standards.
By 2020, every egg served at Panera Bread will come from a hen raised with room to stretch its wings.
The soup and sandwich restaurant chain announced that it will soon stop serving eggs from hens confined to cages. The move reflects Panera’s latest effort to strengthen animal welfare standards across its supply chain.
“While there is more work to be done, we are within reach of a menu without antibiotics and unnecessary confinement,’’ said Panera founder and CEO Ron Shaich in a news release.
Panera’s cage-free commitment covers all 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 a year. Currently, about 21% of the chain’s eggs are cage-free, and all of its shell eggs and hardboiled eggs are antibiotic-free and fed a vegetarian-only diet.
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In making the announcement Nov. 5, the bakery café became the latest restaurant chain to make the humane switch. In September, McDonald’s announced it will transition to cage-free eggs in U.S. and Canadian restaurants over the next decade. Starbucks and Subway have made similar promises but haven’t set a date.
Panera’s efforts immediately generated praise from animal welfare groups.
“Panera is demonstrating that social responsibility goes hand in hand with being a successful national restaurant brand,’’ said Josh Balk, senior food policy director for the Humane Society of the United States, in a statement.
Panera’s animal-friendly initiatives aren’t limited to eggs. As of this year, all of Panera’s chicken, turkey and pork comes from animals raised without antibiotics and fed a vegetarian diet. Its pork is also gestation-crate free, and 89% of its beef cattle are raised where they can roam freely and graze in pastures.
The chain of nearly 2,000 bakery cafes in 46 states and Ontario, Canada, said it is committed to transparency about its menu and encouraged other restaurants to join them.
