QSR July 2023

SUSTAINABILITY

As we move forward, we have carried the torch with a deep sense of responsibility of wanting to continue to elevate good eating. “ Having a broader impact as a leader at this time in the econ omy, in the world, I think is massively important.” KEEP IT CLEAN Sara Burnett, who serves as Panera’s vice president of food beliefs, sustainability, and public relations, understands sus tainability through several definitions. The executive could give a technical, academic answer— which would likely be on par with her. But she simplifies it to how the fast casual can have a positive impact for people, planet, and communities in any decision it makes. Burnett emphasizes that sustainability is a much higher level than just a recyclable piece of packaging. “That’s how we need to think about it and hold it if we really want to make long-term systemic change,” Burnett says. Panera has a lot of milestones in this area. Burnett would know best since she’s been with the chain for 18 years. There’s a hallway in the company’s Boston office that showcases accom plishments, and the brand has a rather difficult time fitting everything up there. Some actually have to come down, and that brings Burnett great pride. Among her nearly two decades of experience, several achievements stand out. The first came in the mid-2000s when Panera moved into the “raised without antibiotics” chicken market and served the product in its Strawberry Poppyseed Salad. It was placed on the menu because focus groups labeled it as the best-tasting chicken. At the time, this type of meat was a small market, so Panera had to build the supply chain. Throughout that process, the team discovered that it was not

birds are rendered unconscious using multi-step controlled atmospheric stunning. In June 2021, Panera completed its transition to receiving 100 percent of its primary egg supply from cage-free sources. Primary egg supply accounts for about 71 percent of the chain’s total egg sourcing; the plan is to reach 100 percent cage-free eggs across all products by the end of 2025. “I think that’s when sustainability really pays off—when you recognize you’re delivering for everyone in a positive way,” Bur nett says. “I’m very proud of that work, and Panera continues that today. And now in many ways, raised without antibiotics has become more of an industry standard, and especially in retail. I’d like to attribute that to the fact that we pushed, we grew the supply chain, we advocated along with many others.” Burnett describes Panera’s commitment to clean ingredients as progressive. In 2010, the company became the first national chain to post caloric information on menu boards. A few years later, the chain announced a new food policy aimed at remov ing artificial additives from the menu in two years. In that time span, the chain reviewed more than 450 ingredients, partnered with more than 300 food vendors, and reformulated 122 ingredi ents. Burnett says it was an “astronomical feat,” but that Panera pushed through because everyone wanted the food to be noth ing less than what they would share with their own families. Then in October 2020—during the thick of the pandemic nonetheless—Panera revealed that it was partnering with the World Resources Institute ( WRI ) to label climate-friendly “Cool Food Meals” on its menu. It was the first national restaurant to do so. Similar to how nutritionists recommend a certain number of calories per day, the WRI has a maximum recom mended daily carbon footprint for a diet, which is 38 percent smaller than average. The organization’s research shows that

only the best-tasting chicken, but it also resulted in better animal care standards and had “a very dramatic” public health effect, Burnett says. To this day, the menu item is a fan favorite and the top-selling salad. In fact, now all chicken, turkey, sausage, and ham used on the menu are raised without antibiotics. In 2016, Panera commit ted to better welfare standards for broiler chickens. The chain works with animal welfare experts, growers, suppliers, competitors, and other market participants to identify cost-effec tive solutions. In a few years, it wants to use new broiler breeds recognized as having higher welfare outcomes, provide birds more space, offer improved envi ronments (better litter, lighting, and enrichment), and ensure

this type of diet is necessary to mit igate the worst impacts of climate change by 2030. According to the WRI, a breakfast’s carbon footprint can’t be more than 20 percent of the daily total; for lunch and dinner individually, it’s no more than 30 percent. The other 20 percent is for drinks and snacks. “People who are environmen tally conscious and want to make an appropriate choice, have the con venience of coming into Panera, and through their choice of where they eat and what they eat, they can impact climate,” Chaudhary says. “… I certainly hope that the industry will also embrace the trans parency and the carbon footprint just like they did the caloric value many years back so that it becomes a broader standard and it makes it easy for consumers to be more cli mate-conscious in the way in which

PANERA’S COOL FOOD MEALS ARE CLIMATE FRIENDLY.

PANERA BREAD (3)

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JULY 2023 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com