QSR: How Healthy Pizza Became a Reality in Quick Service

Given how the demand for healthy food options have increased in the fast casual industry, it comes as no surprise that pizza brands are jumping on board, too. For those who are struggling to think of pizza as ever being healthy, the pizza industry is, in many ways, changing the idea of what healthy is: no longer does it mean low-fat, low-carb or low-calorie, but now it’s shifting towards customizable, whole grain and organic.

“People want healthier choices. They want to know more about the ingredients being used,” Nicole Quartuccio Ring, vice president of nutrition strategy for restaurant nutritional analysis experts Healthy Dining Finder, told QRS. “And it’s not just a fad. This is going to become the new way consumers eat and choose the restaurants they go to.”

As smaller chains create concepts based around health-conscious pizza, even major brands like Papa John’s are investing to get rid of ingredients like artificial colors and corn syrup.