Climate change is a threat to the future of humanity worldwide, and we are running out of time to do something about it. However, we continue to allow corporations to be tremendously wasteful, especially when it comes to the use of single-use plastics. Nearly seven billion tons of plastics are waste, leaving most of these to end up in landfills or our oceans. Not only does this usage of plastics impact our marine life, killing and poisoning them - ultimately impacting the humans that consume this marine life - it also is a great contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The decay of plastic waste results in the release of methane gas – a greenhouse gas that causes the degradation of the ozone layer and furthering of climate change. While there are many things that we can do individually to combat this climate crisis, most of the climate change sources come from major corporations.

Panera Bread is no exception. As a former employee of Panera, in the six months of my employment at the restaurant, I saw countless Mac and Cheeses served every day (three million across all locations a month, to be exact). You may have seen in the news recently that Panera makes its Mac and Cheese by reheating it from a bag. This is absolutely the truth – meaning that every time someone orders a Mac and Cheese, at least one single-use plastic is thrown away.

In addition to this, anytime there is extra heated Mac and Cheese at the end of the night, it must be thrown away because it cannot be re-frozen and used the next day. This means that not only is more plastic being thrown away, but food is also being wasted. Food waste is another one of the major sources of methane gas and greenhouse gas emission.

You should not have to feel bad about ordering your favorite dish from Panera. Nestlé Professional makes the Mac and Cheese that Panera serves, and they, along with Panera, should be tasked with finding a better, more sustainable way to serve such a popular dish. Join me in letting Panera and Nestlé Professional know that we demand sustainability from Panera Bread's dishes.  

Sources:

Fight climate change by preventing food waste. n.d. World Wildlife Fund. Internet. 8 May 2019. www.worldwildlife.org/stories/fight-climate-change-by-preventing-food-waste

Gale Cengage. The Effects of Global Warming. 2017. Internet Database. 23 April 2019. https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/RFAWKL282665076/MSIC?u=j227904&sid=MSIC&xid=cfb0f501

Lieberman, Bruce. Yale Climate Connections. 26 September 2018. Yale University. Internet. 5 May 2019. https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2018/09/looking-anew-at-plastics-and-climate-change/

Parker, Laura. National Geographic. June 2018. Internet. 1 May 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-waste-pollution-trash-crisis/

Riley, Tess. “Just 100 Companies Responsible for 71% of Global Emissions, Study Says.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 July 2017, www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change

Wida, Erica C. “People Are Shocked at How Panera Makes Its Beloved Mac and Cheese.” TODAY.com, 8 Oct. 2019, www.today.com/food/how-does-panera-really-make-its-loved-mac-cheese-t164082