Today, Panera Bread Co. announced they would join the anti-everything parade of restaurants phasing out ingredients en masse in what they believe to be an attempt to gain a marketing advantage over competitors. While this sort of food snobbery may be trendy, it does little good for actual consumers and pushes the food conversation even further into the realm of unrealistic, self-righteous ridiculousness.

First off, Panera presumably hopes that consumers will assume that the exclusion of ingredients on their “no-no” list leads to a healthier product. With items like the steak and white cheddar panini, this couldn’t be further from the truth. At 1050 calories and a whopping 46 grams of fat, this purportedly natural option will naturally lead to an ever-increasing waistline for the average American.

Simply, just because an ingredient is hard to pronounce does not mean it is bad. Just because it sounds “natural” does not mean it is the healthy option. It is easy to fall into the natural trap, but easy is not always best. Healthy eating requires actually reading about the nutritional value of food, not casually complying with the latest fad.

Also of note, what about their beverage options? The press releases thus far have stressed what they will cut from their foods, but it is hard to imagine that they will hold their beverages to the same standards. If the company truly holds that these ingredients should not be served in their establishments, they cannot then hypocritically offer the soda options that most people enjoy to wash down the sometimes dry sandwiches.

By 2016, Panera will have half-heartedly bought into the hypocrisy of marketing their food as healthy without actually changing the nutritional value of their menu. The information of actual importance, such as the calorie, fat or sodium count, doesn’t have to change by their logic – only consumer perceptions. Emotionally, it might feel good for some. In terms of actual impact, it could be a dietary disaster.