Panera’s Frozen Mac And Cheese Controversy
Under a page labeled “Beliefs” on Panera’s website, the fast food chain says “We believe Clean food tastes better … We want to empower our guests to make informed choices about their food.” Admittedly, “clean” eating and “fresh” eating are two different standards. The Mayo Clinic defines “clean eating” as “eating foods that are as close as possible to their natural state.” That means minimizing processing from farm to table, since overprocessing strips foods of their natural nutritional content. By following this policy, the focus organically (pun intended) shifts away from greasy fried foods toward fresh fruits and veggies, lean proteins, whole grains, and whole dairy.
Panera supplies its own definition of “clean,” which doesn’t specifically promise that the food will be as close to natural as possible. Instead, “clean” means the foods don’t contain artificial ingredients that are described as no-nos by the company. The chain provides a detailed list of ingredients for the mac and cheese on its website, which does not present the item as freshly made. Yet, since the sourcing for ingredients in Panera’s mac and cheese is unclear, it’s also unclear whether the mac adheres to the chain’s “selective sourcing” policy, which takes into account factors like how fresh an ingredient is and where it came from.
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