New York
The move is the latest by the company to appeal to Americans who are increasingly concerned about what’s in their food and drinks.
Panera and other restaurant chains have been tweaking their recipes and removing artificial ingredients to match consumer’s changing tastes.
Panera said the new cups will be available in eight cities, including New York, Chicago and St. Louis. They will be in all the chain’s more than 2,000 locations by the middle of September.
CEO Ron Shaich said the cups list the amount of added sugar in teaspoons instead of grams because it’s less confusing. “I think the only people who really understand grams are drug dealers and Walter White,” Shaich said in an interview, referring to the drug-dealing character from the TV show Breaking Bad.
A 20-ounce cola is listed as having 17.25 teaspoons of added sugar and 250 calories. Panera’s blood orange lemonade has 8.25 teaspoons of added sugar and 160 calories, while a plum ginger hibiscus tea has no added sugars and zero calories.
