Chain Pizzas fight menu labeling

[Jet_deck]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/pizza-chains-band-together-over-proposed-menu-labeling-plan/2012/06/19/gJQAxcf3oV_story.html

Video Story:   http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/food-and-drink/newest-pizza-wars

[pizzaneer]

Much as I hate to agree with the evil axis of pizza world domination, they do seem to have a valid point.  Theres just too many ways to make pizza to require consumer information.

That said, they could at least post what a cheese pizza of a certain size contains, nutrient-wise, and leave it up to the consumer to figure the rest out.  Add PP? Another 200 calories & 20% sodium per slice.  Etc.

I hate to see govt interaction in pizza.  Pizza is all about anarchy, IMO.  Throw some stuff on there, eat until you're full, stick the box under the couch cushion for laters...

[Tatoosh]

While I am not a big fan of big government, I kind of agree with this for the chains and even the smaller outfits know how much of the various ingredients are used so they could have a good idea of the calorie content.  Then it is is a matter of serving size.  They need to set a specific serving size that everyone could publish.  The idea of a 12 inch, 14 inch, or 18 inch pizza becomes irrelevant then.  What is a standardized serving would be set, figure the calorie count and so it goes.

I do not count calories when ordering pizza,  just like I don't when getting a dessert.  But I don't see anything wrong with having that info available. 

[Meatballs]

What's the big deal, put the calories of the dough, sauce and cheese for each size (12, 14, 16 inch) then list the toppings and the calories of each, the consumer can do the rest an add it up.  I suspect this whole thing has to do with keeping trade information private, as if you could.  Know how many calories of peperoni they have on the pizza, you can convert it to weight.  Same for dough, cheese and sauce. 

And $3,000 to $5,000 per sign?  I calculate the calories of every meal I make, it takes 5 minutes and I do it on a computer so I could print it out for nothing.  I'm a Reagan Conservative but I agree with the feds on this one, I use these charts in Subway, fast food places (if I can find them).

Additionally, this has uses beyond dieting. I'm a type II diabetic and must limit my intake of starch, American style pizza is almost lethal to me, but, a good New York style (0.8 Thickness Factor) is just fine.  I would like to know how many calories of starch are in a slice of their pizza just to see if I can have more than 1 slice.  I almost set a record on blood sugar after eating Jets one night. 

Ron

[Pete-zza]

Ron,

Most of the big chains have Nutrition Facts posted at their websites. I have viewed and studied most of them. Of those I have studied, I would say that the Mellow Mushroom Nutrition Facts, as shown at http://mellowmushroom.com/public/nutritionfacts102411.pdf, perhaps comes closest to what you are suggesting. My recollection is that Domino's also has very detailed Nutrition Facts. They also have detailed ingredients lists. Most of the chains do not do that, no doubt to keep people like me from trying to reverse engineer and clone their products. Some companies, like Mellow Mushroom and Buddy's, have even gone to listing only serving sizes, without corresponding weights. So, consumers can't tell how much food they are eating by weight.

I don't see any reason why the chains can't display their Nutrition Facts at their stores, and in a more prominent way on their websites for online sales. But I really don't think they want their customers making informed decisions about what they eat. Many of the big chains are public companies with shareholders to please and their primary objective is maximizing sales and profits and the salaries of those who run the companies. In return, consumers maximize the sizes of their girths.

BTW, I believe you meant to say that the thickness factor you use for the NY style is 0.08, not 0.8.

Peter

[Meatballs]

I believe you meant to say that the thickness factor you use for the NY style is 0.08, not 0.8.

Yes, 0.08, my pancreas thanks you for clarifying that error, a two foot thick pizza is not in the cards for me.

Ron

[Pizzamaster]

I have no problem with it at all. I cansee why they're scared. When people saw their ingredient list they would probably run away.

[Pete-zza]

Pizzamaster,

Government regulations do not require pizza operators to disclose ingredients used in their food products, so that is a moot point. But if they were required to disclose ingredients in their stores or at their websites for online sales the ones who would have to be the most concerned are the chains that use a lot of chemicals, additives and conditioners in their dough and other items that they use in their pizzas. Domino's and Pizza Hut are perhaps two of the biggest users of chemicals, additives and conditioners in their products. In Pizza Hut's case, it is because most of the doughs they use in their stores are frozen.

Peter

[Tatoosh]

Pete-zza, why do frozen doughs require specific chemicals that unfrozen doughs do not?  Just curious here.  I freeze traditional doughs (pizza and others) often, including par-baked pizza crusts for later use without modifying the recipe.  I could understand a preservative if the pizza chain needed longer term storage, but I don't know enough about why they would use other chemicals?  Some sort of enhancement to make up for cheaper quality flour?  Or to help uniformity of their pizza handling so that they had less dependence upon semi-skilled help at their stores? 

[Pete-zza]

Pete-zza, why do frozen doughs require specific chemicals that unfrozen doughs do not?  Just curious here.

Tatoosh,

There are all kinds of reasons why pizza makers use chemicals, additives and conditioners in their frozen doughs. Most of these items are added for functional purposes or for preservation purposes. These include emulsifiers, nutrients for yeast (e.g., nitrogen sources), oxidizers and reducing agents, strengtheners and softeners, pH regulators, enzymes (e.g., protease and amylase), fillers, preservatives (like sorbates/Polysorbate), and substitutes for potassium bromate (such as ascorbic acid and Azodicarbonamide). For a couple of good guides as to how these items are used, see http://www.lallemand.com/BakerYeastNA/eng/PDFs/LBU%20PDF%20FILES/1_13DOUG.PDF and https://www.aibonline.org/schoolofbaking/DoughCondIngFunclist.pdf. You might also take a look at Reply 1 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6448.msg55276.html#msg55276 where I once attempted to analyze a Pizza Hut dough that was being used in Canada at the time.

There is currently a move afoot in the baking industry to come up with "cleaner labels" for their products because consumers are starting to demand them. To get a better feel for what is happening on this front, see the BakingBusiness.com articles at http://www.bakingbusiness.com/Features/Formulating%20and%20R%20and%20D/2011/4/Enzymes.aspx and at http://www.bakingbusiness.com/News/News%20Home/Features/2012/1/Functional%20Ingredients%20Coming%20Clean.aspx.

It is highly unlikely that you will see pizza operators willingly disclose the ingredients in their products, particularly if they include the types of items discussed above. There are a few companies however that could safely do it for their pizza doughs, such as Papa John's and Papa Gino's. Although Papa John's does not publicize their dough ingredients, for proprietary reasons, the ingredients they use have always been straightforward. Likewise at Papa Gino's, but they post the ingredients they use at their website.

Peter