US bakery eliminates antibiotic use in poultry supply chain

US bakery and café outlet, Panera Bread has announced its successes regarding responsibly raised livestock and poultry following the company’s Food Policy introduction in June.

As part of Panera’s commitment to have a positive impact on the food system and provide transparency, the Company is sharing progress on further reduction of antibiotic usage and confinement for farm animals in its US supply chain for Panera Bread and St. Louis Bread Company bakery-cafes.

“For years, Panera has been working closely with farmers, ranchers and experts, to learn how we can tangibly improve conditions for the farm animals in our supply chain. We’ve intentionally reduced or eliminated the use of antibiotics and confinement because we believe those are among the most critical animal welfare issues we can impact,” said Blaine Hurst, executive vice president, chief transformation and growth officer.

Laying Hens (Eggs)

In 2014, 18% of the more than 70 million eggs the Company served – including shell eggs, hard boiled and liquid egg whites – came from laying hens raised in cage-free environments, allowing full range of movement in indoor barns. All hens that supply shell eggs and hard boiled eggs for Panera also met the standard for no antibiotics ever and vegetarian-only diet.

Poultry

In 2014, Panera marked 10 years serving chicken that received no antibiotics ever. This year, 100% of the chicken served in sandwiches and salads met this standard, and had a vegetarian-only diet. Nearly all the roasted turkey also received no antibiotics ever. Roasted turkey accounts for almost a third of the turkey served on Panera’s sandwiches and salads.

“We believe higher levels of animal welfare result in higher quality food, and that – combined with our culinary expertise – leads to better taste. Panera Bread intends to continue adopting practices that allow for farm animals to be raised in environments that support their health, fitness, and freedom,” said Dan Kish, senior vice president of Food.