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Panera Bread Continues to Work on Animal Welfare Practices
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Panera Bread Company continues to raise the bar for other restaurants amid an intensely competitive environment.
The company is making persistent progress on animal welfare issues. It recently announced its intent to improve the welfare of the chicken farmed for meat, known as broiler chicken in its supply chain, thereby challenging other industry players to follow suit. Notably, Panera aims to see these changes implemented industry wide by 2024.
Inside the Headlines
Panera has aligned its broiler chicken policy with the Global Animal Partnership's Broiler Chicken Standard, which calls for more space by reducing stocking density and improved environments including better litter, lighting and enrichment for the birds.
Also, the company will be making use of higher welfare broiler chicken breeds and ensure that the chicken are rendered unconscious prior to slaughter.
In fact, the move has been applauded by the ASPCA Farm Animal Welfare Program, which stated that nearly 8.5 billion broiler chicken are raised in the U.S. for meat.
Progress on Animal Welfare
Notably, Panera has been using antibiotic-free chicken since 2004, and it continues to reduce the use of antibiotics across its U.S. Panera Bread and St. Louis Bread Co. bakery-cafe menus.
Panera stated that, in 2016, 100% of the poultry in its sandwiches and salads was raised without antibiotics. It also added that, all its pork products including ham and bacon served in sandwiches and salads have been raised without antibiotics or gestation crates, and 95% of the beef in its food is grass-fed and free-range.
Also, 28% of the 70 million shell eggs used on sandwiches and salads in 2016 were cage-free, up from 21% in 2015. Meanwhile, system-wide, 16% of all 120 million eggs used across the menu were cage-free.
Bottom Line
At a time when the restaurant industry is facing a slowdown, food companies are adapting to changing consumer preference, bringing more transparency in their operations and trying to appeal to more health-conscious eaters by altering their practices and food lineup.
Companies like McDonald's Corp. (MCD - Free Report) and The Wendy's Company (WEN - Free Report) , have pledged to shift completely toward cage-free eggs and use chicken raised without antibiotics. Meanwhile, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG - Free Report) already uses genetically modified organism -free ingredients in its food items.
However, Panera has stolen much of the spotlight from its competitors and is one of the industry leaders, given its commitment to quality.
Panera’s shares have outperformed the broader Zacks categorized Retail–Restaurants industry year to date. While the stock gained 8.2%, the broader industry witnessed a gain of 2.1% in the same time period.
By becoming the first national chain to announce an animal welfare pledge of this scale for broiler chickens, Panera has once again become a catalyst for animal welfare across the industry. The move should further enhance its competitive position against the other restaurateurs.
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Panera Bread Continues to Work on Animal Welfare Practices
Panera Bread Company continues to raise the bar for other restaurants amid an intensely competitive environment.
The company is making persistent progress on animal welfare issues. It recently announced its intent to improve the welfare of the chicken farmed for meat, known as broiler chicken in its supply chain, thereby challenging other industry players to follow suit. Notably, Panera aims to see these changes implemented industry wide by 2024.
Inside the Headlines
Panera has aligned its broiler chicken policy with the Global Animal Partnership's Broiler Chicken Standard, which calls for more space by reducing stocking density and improved environments including better litter, lighting and enrichment for the birds.
Also, the company will be making use of higher welfare broiler chicken breeds and ensure that the chicken are rendered unconscious prior to slaughter.
In fact, the move has been applauded by the ASPCA Farm Animal Welfare Program, which stated that nearly 8.5 billion broiler chicken are raised in the U.S. for meat.
Progress on Animal Welfare
Notably, Panera has been using antibiotic-free chicken since 2004, and it continues to reduce the use of antibiotics across its U.S. Panera Bread and St. Louis Bread Co. bakery-cafe menus.
Panera stated that, in 2016, 100% of the poultry in its sandwiches and salads was raised without antibiotics. It also added that, all its pork products including ham and bacon served in sandwiches and salads have been raised without antibiotics or gestation crates, and 95% of the beef in its food is grass-fed and free-range.
Also, 28% of the 70 million shell eggs used on sandwiches and salads in 2016 were cage-free, up from 21% in 2015. Meanwhile, system-wide, 16% of all 120 million eggs used across the menu were cage-free.
Bottom Line
At a time when the restaurant industry is facing a slowdown, food companies are adapting to changing consumer preference, bringing more transparency in their operations and trying to appeal to more health-conscious eaters by altering their practices and food lineup.
Companies like McDonald's Corp. (MCD - Free Report) and The Wendy's Company (WEN - Free Report) , have pledged to shift completely toward cage-free eggs and use chicken raised without antibiotics. Meanwhile, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG - Free Report) already uses genetically modified organism -free ingredients in its food items.
However, Panera has stolen much of the spotlight from its competitors and is one of the industry leaders, given its commitment to quality.
Panera’s shares have outperformed the broader Zacks categorized Retail–Restaurants industry year to date. While the stock gained 8.2%, the broader industry witnessed a gain of 2.1% in the same time period.
By becoming the first national chain to announce an animal welfare pledge of this scale for broiler chickens, Panera has once again become a catalyst for animal welfare across the industry. The move should further enhance its competitive position against the other restaurateurs.
Panera currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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Today, you are invited to download the full list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 ""Strong Buy"" stocks – absolutely free of charge. Since 1988, Zacks Rank #1 stocks have nearly tripled the market, with average gains of +26% per year. Plus, you can access the list of portfolio-killing Zacks Rank #5 ""Strong Sells"" and other private research. See these stocks free >>