Panera’s Cups Will Now Tell You How Much Sugar Is In That Fountain Drink

Image courtesy of Panera

Panera Bread’s health crusade continues apace this week: After launching a new “clean” beverage line and posting calorie and added sugars information for its drinks in its stores, Panera will be rolling out new cups that list nutritional information for every beverage it sells.

A spokesperson for Panera tells Consumerist that the new cups will first be launching in eight markets this week, and will roll out nationwide by mid-September.

It’s not that Panera thinks it’s the food police, CEO Ron Shaich told The Street, but the company does want customers to know what’s in their food. He says that since the company introduced its new line of lower-calorie beverages, 10% of customers moved from “heavily sugared” drinks to choosing those with less sweetener.

Shaich also says that recent company research found that 99% of people don’t know how much sugar is in their beverages.

“We said, ‘Listen, if we’re going to serve people, let’s put that out there,” Shaich said of the decision to add nutritional information to cups.

While he acknowledges that yes, Panera serves soda, the chain just wants customers to know what they’re getting.

“What people really want is to be informed so they can make good decisions for themselves,” he said, adding, “Indulge when you want, but on the other hand, take care of yourself.”

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