Dive Brief:

• Panera has a message for PepsiCo: It's taking high fructose corn syrup off menus, even if that means breaking up with PepsiCo, its soda fountain supplier.
• "We’ve had countless meetings with [PepsiCo] about it," Dan Kish, head chef at Panera, told The New York Times. "And we’ve said with you or without you, we are getting high-fructose corn syrup off our menu."
• The retailer has taken high fuctose corn syrup from salad dressings and most of its pastries, so soda containing it, is next to go.

Dive Insight:

"As we vetted ingredients, we asked ourselves two questions: 'Is this necessary?' and 'Is it something you'd find in your home pantry?' " Mr. Kish added. "In the case of high-fructose corn syrup, the answer to both was no."

As consumers continue to walk away from ingredients that aren't simple — i.e. clean labeling — it makes sense for Panera to join the trend. For PepsiCo, it may not be as easy, because as consumer distaste for soda continues, the company did exceed expecations in its earnings release Thursday.

PepsiCo didn't comment on high fructose corn syrup to The New York Times, though it said it was looking into other beverage options with the chain.

The company is releasing an aspartame-free Diet Pepsi in August in an effort to alleviate consumer concerns, though rival Coca-Cola said at the time of Pepsi's announcement there were no plans to alter Diet Coke. However, in an earnings call Thursday, CEO Indra Nooyi said Pepsi would continue to go after the segment that wants aspartame by working to make it accessible online.