Panera retools menu for kids while blasting its competitors
Panera Bread Co., seeking an edge in an increasingly cutthroat fast-food industry, is removing artificial ingredients from its kids menu and calling out other chains for targeting young diners with meals that feature soda and french fries.
Panera, which operates a chain of more than 2,000 cafes, has issued a “Kids Meal Promise” saying that it won’t encourage children to drink soda, eat french fries or use cartoon characters or toys to push its meals. The company will introduce its new menu for kids next month using revamped recipes for items like turkey sandwiches and macaroni and cheese made without artificial preservatives or sweeteners.
“It’s an egregious violation of what we stand for the way kids meals are done,” CEO Ron Shaich said Wednesday.
Panera has had success touting its fresh and additive-free foods, positioning its menu as a healthier alternative to fast-food burgers.
The company’s new children’s menu comes as rival chains look to improvements such as cagefree eggs or chicken raised without antibiotics to draw in customers who value ingredient transparency.