LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Papa John’s International (NASDAQ: PZZA) continues to build upon its commitment to BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA and having the cleanest label among national pizza chains by announcing an exciting new menu initiative—the availability of freshly sliced organic produce for pizza toppings.
The organics pilot program is currently being tested in Papa John’s locations across Lexington, KY and features four freshly-sliced, organic toppings: Roma tomatoes, green peppers, yellow onions, and mushrooms.
Papa John’s will work in partnership with Green BEAN Delivery to source the fresh, organic produce from Certified Organic family farms across the country including locations in Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Oregon, California and Indiana.
Papa John’s is reinforcing its dedication to both ingredient quality and customer choice—actively listening to its customers and finding new ways to give them what they want from their favorite pizza maker. Testing organic ingredients is a natural step in Papa John’s BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA promise and clean label journey.
“Our customers want to know where their food comes from and how it is produced,” said Sean Muldoon, Chief Ingredient Officer, Papa John’s. “At Papa John’s, we are constantly looking at ways to meet the needs of our customers whether it’s through our clean label initiative or testing organic produce,” continued Muldoon. “Moving into a test of organic produce is a natural progression as Papa John’s takes pride in our position of having the cleanest label in the pizza industry.”
The Papa John’s organic pilot program is an important first step in considering the viability of utilizing organic ingredients on a larger scale. According to the Organic Trade Association, in 2015 organic fruits and vegetables reached $14.4 billion in sales and almost 13 percent of the produce sold in the U.S. is now organic. Given recent sales trends that number could reach nearly 20 percent by 2020. Additionally, more than half of American households purchase organic produce.
“Papa John’s is showing great leadership by stepping out into the organic marketplace and testing the quality and viability of the supply chain,” said Matt Ewer, CEO of Green BEAN Delivery. “They are a major influence in creating this positive change in our food system.”
Papa John’s is the first national pizza delivery chain to announce the removal of the following ingredients across its entire food menu:
- Preservatives BHA and BHT
- Flavor enhancer MSG
- Cellulose and partially hydrogenated oils
- Artificial flavors and synthetic colors
- High fructose corn syrup
In 2016, the brand announced the elimination of artificial flavors and synthetic colors across its entire food menu. Last summer, the pizza brand also fully transitioned the chicken used in grilled chicken pizza toppings and poppers to be fed on a vegetarian diet and raised without human or animal antibiotics, and went completely cage-free with its eggs.
About Papa John’s
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world’s third-largest pizza delivery company. For 15 of the past 17 years, consumers have rated Papa John’s No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John’s is the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League, the Official Pizza of Major League Baseball and the Official Pizza Partner of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John’s at www.papajohns.com. Also visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PapaJohns, Twitter at http://twitter.com/PapaJohns, YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/papajohns, Instagram at instagram.com/papajohns, and Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/papajohnspizza. Looking to be a part of something Better? Join the Papa John’s Pizza Family at www.papajohns.com/careers/ and www.papajohns.com/franchise.
