Panera Follows Chipotle in Purging Items From Menu

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. isn’t the only restaurant chain on a quest to clean up its menu.

Panera Bread Co., the chain of about 1,900 bakery-cafes, has spent the past year working to remove artificial additives from its food. The company says it’s now 85 percent of the way to its goal of serving “clean” food by the end of 2016, meaning it’s free of additives such as artificial sweeteners, colors and preservatives. While Panera isn’t joining Chipotle in banning genetically modified organisms as well, Chief Executive Officer Ron Shaich said he wanted to educate consumers.