Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 9/22/16


Panera Bread has announced that it will serve bacon that is free of artificial preservatives, flavors, sweeteners and colors from artificial sources prohibited by the company’s “No No List,” as well as sourced from pigs that meet Panera’s animal welfare standards for reduced confinement and antibiotics.

“There are few foods as beloved as bacon,” head chef Dan Kish said in a news release. “As we approached the challenge of remaking bacon without artificial curing agents and preservatives, we took another step back to think about bacon as it should be: the perfect slice. My food philosophy is that if you’re going to truly enjoy an indulgence, like salty, smoky bacon, it should be the best you can get.”

The company also announced that its bacon will have additional “culinary enhancements,” including:
• More belly: Bacon bits work as chopped bacon for Panera’s salads, which allows the company to use premium cuts for its crumbles and helps minimize waste.
• Extra applewood smoke: Panera has long used real smoke on its bacon but chose to develop a more complex bacon flavor for its clean bacon by applying extra applewood smoke.
• A bigger bite: The bacon is 25 percent thicker than before.
• Crispier slices: Instead of being stored in the refrigerator, Panera’s bacon is now taken out of the oven and served at room temperature.

In 2015, Panera served 2 million pounds — more than 115 million slices — of bacon on its sandwiches and salads.

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