PLANO, Texas, May 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Pizza Hut
announced plans today to make changes to its ingredients brand
standards, beginning with the removal of artificial flavors and
colors from its nationally available pizzas by no later than the
end of July, the first national chain to make this commitment.
For more than a year, the Pizza Hut culinary team has been
working alongside its suppliers to reformulate its menu, removing
many of the artificial additives that have become common across the
industry supply chain. The effort has meant continuous testing and
redevelopment of products, all done to preserve the flavor people
have come to expect from the brand but also to meet the desire of
today's customers who seek to know more about what's in their
food.
"Today's consumer more than ever before wants to understand the
ingredients that make up the foods that they enjoy," said
David Gibbs, CEO, Pizza Hut. "As the
world's largest pizza company that has unrivaled heritage in
quality and flavorful pizzas, it only made sense for us to lead the
category in this area. We are committed to doing this the right way
and to make the changes that ensure only the highest quality and
greatest flavors in our food."
In addition to these ingredient simplifications, Pizza Hut has
already eliminated partially hydrogenated oils (also known as
artificial trans fats) and MSG. Moreover, the company has reduced
the sodium in its pizzas as part of its Nutrition Bold Goal. By the
end of 2015, 15 percent of Pizza Hut pizzas will have just one
third of the daily recommended dietary allowance for sodium and 20
percent of its pizzas will meet that criteria by 2020.
Pizza Hut also does not use any fillers in any of its meat
toppings. Its Italian sausage is all natural and sourced from U.S.
farmers, and its meatballs are free of any artificial colors,
flavors or preservatives. Pizza Hut also does not add any sugar or
oil to its pizza marinara sauce and its cheese is made from 100
percent whole milk mozzarella.
Also in July, Pizza Hut will introduce an interactive nutrition
calculator and allergen tool to its website and mobile app that
will better enable customers to tailor Pizza Hut menu items to
their needs.
The company also offers a wide variety of healthier options,
including the category's only "Skinny" slice pizza recipes with
five pizzas featuring 250 calories or less per slice as well its
Udi's Gluten-Free pizza prepared using procedures certified by the
Gluten Intolerance Group.
"You don't get the honor of being
America's leading pizza brand without consistently
keeping up with the changing needs of today's consumers," said
Gibbs. "Our food journey
took massive steps forward this past year
with our Flavor of Now menu, and we will continue to work with our
customers on this moving forward."
About Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM),
delivers more pizza, pasta and wings than any other restaurant in
the world. The company began 57 years ago in Wichita, Kansas, when two brothers borrowed
$600 from their mom to start a
pizzeria.
What started out small has become the biggest pizza company in
the world and today operates more than 15,600 restaurants in more
than 90 countries serving innovative pizzas, traditional favorites
like the signature Pan Pizza, and much more. Pizza Hut also is the
proprietor of the BOOK IT!® Program, which is a long-standing
children's literacy program used in more than 630,000 classrooms
nationwide. For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. Follow
Pizza Hut on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PizzaHut), Twitter
(www.twitter.com/pizzahut) and Instagram
(www.instagram.com/pizzahut).
*For all media inquiries, please contact Pizza Hut:
Doug Terfehr, 972-338-6992,
Doug.Terfehr@yum.com
CONTACT:
Doug Terfehr, Pizza Hut
doug.terfehr@pizzahut.com / 972.338.6882
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SOURCE Pizza Hut