Panera Revamps Kids Menu While Blasting Peers’ ‘Egregious’ Meals
- CEO criticizes rivals for seeking health halo for tiny changes
- Cafe chain’s improved items will be introduced next month
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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 kids menu next month using revamped recipes for items like turkey sandwiches and macaroni and cheese made without artificial preservatives or sweeteners.