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If You’ve Ever Eaten Pizza Before, This Will Blow Your Mind (Maybe Literally)

I love pizza! It’s one of my top favorite foods next to kale and cake. And I know I’m not the only one that loves it, either. Recently, the USDA conducted a study which revealed the enormous amount of pizza we consume in the United States. American consumption of cheese increased by nearly 30% in 10 years because the dairy industry is spending big bucks to promote pizza and partner with big chains like Dominos. Congress even voted to declare pizza a vegetable in the school lunch program. The government wants us to eat pizza – a lot of it. But there’s a lot going on behind closed doors that nobody wants us to know or talk about, and it all starts with the ingredients. 

When I started researching pizza ingredients, one thing became abundantly clear. Pizza restaurants did not like the questions I was asking.

Pizza Vani Food Babe

The only way to find out what may be lurking in your pizza is to review its complete ingredient list, which is often concealed from the public. I began calling the top pizza chains and easily found a couple ingredient lists online. But, when I called most pizza restaurants and began asking questions, they blatantly refused to share ingredient lists and their customer service reps were oblivious to what their ingredients were – they had no clue.  

Little Caesars, California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) and Mellow Mushroom have all refused to answer my questions about their ingredients. I was told by Mellow Mushroom’s corporate offices that they will only comply with minimal government regulations, which require them to publish an allergen list.  

After sending me their dough ingredients, CPK suddenly claimed that due to “proprietary restrictions” they can’t disclose their full ingredient lists. They went on to tell me that they “don’t have an easy way to perform a search by individual ingredient” and would need to call each vendor first. While traveling, I stopped into a CPK in an airport to ask questions face to face. Both the manager and store clerk had zero access to ingredients. I even asked to look at the packages of their dough and other ingredients that got shipped to the store in and they said they did not have them. 

I called many local pizza restaurants and was informed that it’s their policy to NOT disclose ingredients to their customers. Little Caesars literally told me that if I was concerned about what was in it, I “just shouldn’t eat there…” Ha! Don’t worry, I won’t!

Papa John’s also has repeatedly refused to release their ingredient list, which really caused a stir last year with my friend Melanie Warner, author of the processed food exposing book “Pandora’s Lunchbox“. How can Papa John’s claim to have “Better Ingredients… Better Pizza” without telling us what’s really in it? While they say their lack of transparency is due to the proprietary nature of their recipes, they could be hiding some seriously harmful ingredients.  After repeated calls to corporate offices and some helpful photos sent to me by Melanie Warner, I was finally able to uncover some details about what is really in their pizzas.

Why are the ingredients so hard to find?  Why are they refusing to share their ingredients? What is it that these pizza restaurants don’t want us to know? 

Well, I’ll tell you what they’re hiding: Lots and lots of hidden MSG!

Restaurants don’t want to get a bad rap by putting monosodium glutamate (MSG) on their ingredient or allergen statements, so they have found another way to secretly add this potent flavor enhancer to your food, without the average customer realizing it. Instead of letting you know that they are putting MSG in your food, they are using an FDA loophole to sneak processed free glutamic acid into your food, which has the same effect as MSG – all without warning you. They simply use other forms of free glutamic acid (such as Hydrolyzed Soy Protein), which is the main component of MSG. This allows them to have “clean labels” and deceive us into believing their product contains no MSG – when it actually does!

While it’s true that tomatoes and cheese are naturally high in glutamates, they do not have the same effect on the brain as added manufactured free glutamic acid additives. When I talked to Papa John’s, they admitted that these additives are used as a replacement for MSG by the food industry.

It will blow your mind – literally

MSG tricks your brain into believing that what you are eating tastes so great that you want more of it. Your taste buds sense that there is more protein in the food than there really is – which is great for food manufacturers that want to save money by using less or lower quality meat. These ingredients also promote an addiction to pizza so that you keep coming back to order more. Repeat business keeps their pockets lined with lots of cash. Ever wonder why you can’t stop at one slice? This is why.

MSG and hidden MSG additives are known to commonly cause headaches, obesity and depression – and this is just the tip of the iceberg. As an excitotoxin, its effect on the brain is so toxic that it has been linked to learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Lou Gehrig’s disease. Board certified neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, M.D. warns that, “Excitotoxins have been found to dramatically promote cancer growth… It also causes a cancer cell to become more mobile, and that enhances metastasis, or spread… When you increase the glutamate level, cancer just grows like wildfire”. 

This is serious stuff. But the industry will tell you it’s harmless and that you are crazy for being concerned. 

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that it is okay to eat this stuff occasionally, because these ingredients can stick around in your body for a long time, leach nutrients from your system, and can make you really sick.  As put by my pal Kristen Michaelis at FoodRenegade.com, “Not only is MSG not a traditional food, not only are many people immediately sensitive to it, but it can also interrupt the hormonal and biological development of children!  Lest you think this is all fanciful, it’s important to remember that a number of studies have found that the effects of MSG can occur cumulatively over time with subsequent exposure. 

Hidden MSG in Pizza

Toxic hidden MSG ingredients buried in popular pizza menu items:

  • Autolyzed Yeast Extract (Hidden MSG)
  • Textured or Hydrolyzed Proteins (Hidden MSG and GMO)
  • Hydrolyzed Corn (Hidden MSG and GMO)
  • Modified Starches (Hidden MSG or Possible GMO)
  • Natural Flavors (Possible Hidden MSG)
  • Disodium Inosinate or Disodium Guanylate (MSG enhancers)

The additives Disodium Guanylate and Disodium Inosinate are not added to a product that doesn’t contain MSG because they are considered expensive additives that are ineffective without MSG ingredients.  The presence of Disodium Guanylate or Disodium Inosinate in a product is a strong indication that a product contains hidden MSG.

I’m talking about more than MSG here

The ingredient lists that I could get my hands on are riddled with artificial colors, artificial and natural flavors, partially hydrogenated oils, cellulose (wood pulp) to keep the already shredded cheese from clumping, and GMO soybean oil.

Partially Hydrogenated Oils (Trans-fat) – There is absolutely no reason for anyone to still be using this. These oils are so bad that even our FDA has woken up and warns that it’s not safe to eat this in any food.  Partially hydrogenated oils block arteries and the CDC estimates that they could cause up to 20,000 heart attacks every year!  I found these dangerous oils in Pizza Hut’s hand-tossed crust, Round Table’s Creamy Garlic sauce, Papa John’s dipping sauces and Dominos Philly Steak pizza. Partially hydrogenated oils are found in 21 menu items at Cici’s Pizza – it’s even added to their cheese!

Soybean Oil (likely GMO) You’d hope to see just olive oil in there, but soybean oil is the oil of choice for most pizza restaurants.  It’s in the dough and pizza sauces, so it basically makes its way into every pizza. This genetically engineered inflammation causing oil is being used at these restaurants:

  • Papa John’s
  • Domino’s
  • Pizza Hut
  • Uno Pizzeria 
  • Papa Murphy’s
  • Little Caesars
  • Cici’s
  • Mellow Mushroom – “Soybean oil is a major ingredient in our pizzas
  • California Pizza Kitchen – “our Ciabatta Bread and our Wheat Dough do contain Soybean Oil”
  • Round Table Pizza – Creamy Garlic sauce

BHT/BHA (Butylated Hydroxytoluene.Butylated Hydroxyanisole) BHT is used in embalming fluid and to fuel jets.  BHA is toxic to your organs and linked to cancer. These were found in the pepperoni on every ingredient list I looked at from Uno’s to Dominos.

Sodium Nitrite – Whenever this is added to a meat, there is a really good chance that it contains cancer-causing Nitrosamines. Nitrites are often found in the pepperoni, ham, bacon and sausage toppings.

Enriched Flour This is a dead food that has had some vitamins and minerals artificially replaced. It’s absorbed by your body as a starch, rather than a whole grain. This flour is used in pizza dough, except the gluten-free versions.

Artificial Colors – These are petroleum-based colorings linked to asthma, allergies and hyperactivity. I found them in the banana pepper toppings, the cheese at Cici’s, and specifically in the garlic oil used by Domino’s.

Caramel Coloring – This is often made by heating ammonia and sulfites under high pressure which creates carcinogenic compounds. You’ll find this very controversial coloring in the bacon at Pizza Hut, the Italian sausage at Round Table, the beef at Little Caesars, the zesty pizza sauce at Cici’s and in the BBQ Chicken pizza at Uno’s.

BPA (Bisphenol A)You won’t find this on any ingredient label, but BPA leaches from the cans that hold pizza sauce in some restaurants. Many fast food pizza chains use canned tomato sauce that could have BPA. This substance exposure increases your risk for cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes and a slew of other medical problems. 

How these pizza restaurants stack up

Papa John’s – They add a lot to their “Better Ingredients”.  For instance, their “100% Beef” topping is a lot more than just beef! It contains corn syrup, maltodextrin, natural flavor, natural smoke grill flavor, beef flavor and seasonings. Also, so much for believing that there is 100% real cheese topping their pizzas, as they add modified food starch (hidden MSG), preservatives and powdered wood pulp (cellulose) to their cheese blend. They also add natural flavors to their thin crust, pepperoni, and chicken topping, as well as hidden MSG (autolyzed yeast extract) to their garlic ranch and spinach alfredo pizza sauces. Those little dipping sauces that come with your pizza are loaded with partially hydrogenated oil, GMOs and (you guessed it) more hidden MSG.

Update: In June 2015 Papa Johns announced they’re removing 14 ingredients by the end of 2016, including artificial colors, caramel color, the preservative sodium benzoate, and hidden MSG ingredients like autolyzed yeast extract and hydrolyzed proteins. They have also listed ingredients on their website (however this list is not entirely complete as they don’t publish the ingredients in some of their seasonings, such as in their beef topping). 

Papa Johns Ingredients

Domino’s – One of the few pizza restaurants that openly publishes their ingredients online – and their ingredient list has hidden MSG written all over it. It’s almost impossible to avoid at Dominos, as it’s in their cheese, marinara sauce, white sauces, BBQ sauce and a slew of toppings (chicken, beef, Italian sausage and Philly steak). They also add “flavors” to their pan crust, cheese, pepperoni and shake-on seasoning. The garlic oil used on nearly every pizza is NOT what you’d expect (garlic & oil).  It’s actually a toxic combo of over 20 ingredients including artificial colors, artificial flavors and TBHQ.

Pizza Hut – You get a lot more than “100% Real Beef” in this topping loaded natural and artificial flavors. Their sausage and bacon toppings have hidden MSG (autolyzed yeast or hydrolyzed proteins), and you are eating modified starches in their cheese, chicken and cream sauce (starches usually derived from GMO corn).  The garlic sauce and seasoning used on every hand-tossed pizza is loaded with natural flavors, artificial flavors and partially-hydrogenated GMO oils.  Pizza Hut recently reformulated their hand-tossed crust by replacing the high fructose corn syrup with sucralose (Splenda) – an artificial sweetener that has been shown to cause DNA damage to the gastrointestinal tract, reduces beneficial gut bacteria, and is linked to inflammatory bowel disease. Recent research indicates that sucralose is linked to leukemia

Round Table – “The Last Honest Pizza” honestly adds straight “Glutamic Acid” to their creamy garlic sauce. They add hidden MSG ingredients to their pizza sauces, chicken and sausage toppings. Their cheese is far from “100% real” with “Natural Smoke Flavoring” and cellulose.

Little Caesars – Although their corporate office told me that their ingredients are top secret, the first gal I talked with admitted that there is yeast extract in their beef topping. I also called a local store and found that their super-secret ingredients were listed right there on the package for anyone in the kitchen to read. According to my local restaurant, their sauce contains natural flavors and the cheese contains wood pulp (cellulose). They also rattled off the beef topping ingredients to confirm it contains yeast extract, beef flavorings and caramel coloring.

Mellow Mushroom – One of the most tight-lipped restaurants I talked to would only admit to the use of soybean oil, which is likely GMO – “Soybean oil is a major ingredient in our pizzas” they wrote to me in an email. Furthermore, when I asked about hidden MSG ingredients, they told me that they weren’t required to tell me since they are not one of the 7 major allergens designated by the FDA and don’t list them on their allergen list. So I decided to go use their allergen tool to see what they do list and found something shocking. The tool gives misleading, inaccurate and potentially dangerous information if you have a soy allergy. For example, I confirmed their crust uses soy, but when you use the tool, it says there are plenty of pizzas without soy. The information doesn’t add up and regardless of whether if you have an allergy, I would not trust Mellow Mushroom until they release the full ingredient lists for their menu. 

Uno Pizzeria – They are not much better than the rest with hidden MSG in their BBQ Chicken pizza, Harvest Vegetable pizza, sausage topping and gluten-free crust. I was a bit surprised to see that they also add caramel color, artificial flavors, and a large amount of natural flavors to their BBQ Chicken pizza – it’s totally unnecessary.

California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) – As they were being very difficult in sharing ingredients, I was only able to confirm that the Thai sauce, tomato pizza sauce, pepperoni, salami, bacon, romano cheese, and chipotle sauce do not contain any of the hidden MSG ingredients that I listed. Because they refuse to share an ingredient list, I have no way of knowing whether they contain other additives or hidden MSG that I didn’t ask about – so don’t be convinced that these menu items are clean! I also inquired about hidden MSG ingredients in their other cheeses, BBQ sauce, chicken, sausage and ham toppings – and they have not responded at all regarding those items. Again, I will take their lack of a response as an indication that they do contain hidden MSG until they inform us otherwise.

Papa Murphy’s – It’s all about the sauces at Papa Murphy’s, where there’s yeast extract in their basil pesto sauce and modified food starch in their BBQ sauce, buffalo sauce, creamy garlic sauce and sweet chili sauce. They also add “flavors” to nearly every meat topping available and to their cheese. 

Cici’s – They don’t really hide it by adding straight MSG to 10 menu items including their “Zesty” pizza sauce. Cici’s further adds hidden MSG to their buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, bacon cheddar sauce, sausage topping and beef topping. Quite frankly, I can’t believe how bad their “cheese” is – modified food starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, (added) casein, aluminum, natural flavors and artificial color! I was also astounded to find high fructose corn syrup in their BBQ sauce and dessert pizzas, as well as carrageenan and propylene glycol in several of their sauces, including the Alfredo.

Cicis

Are you wondering about your favorite pizza place?

The good news is that you can do the exact same thing I did at your favorite pizza place, and please share the outcome with me!

To get the best results, plan to visit your pizza place during a slow time and not during their dinner rush.  This way their employees won’t be rushed and will have time to answer your questions.  Right off the bat, ask them if they have an ingredient list to share with you.  Most likely they won’t, but it’s worth a try.  If their ingredients are not readily available, here’s my game plan for navigating the menu and asking the right questions:

  • Typically the safest bet is to stick with a veggie pizza without cheese. This is dependent on what they have lurking in their sauce and crust, so it’s really important to find out what is in those items!  Ask them to read you the complete ingredients in the sauce and dough.
  • Hidden MSG is most often found in meat toppings, seasoning mixes and creamy sauces – so if you plan to order those things I would ask specifically about hidden MSG ingredients.  Ask them if monosodium glutamate, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed proteins, modified starches, or natural flavors are in any of those menu items. Which ones?
  • GMO soybean oil is usually found in the crust and the sauces.  Ask them if they use soybean oil – and in what menu items.  Is soybean oil used in their pans?  Can they make you a pizza without it?
  • Ask them directly if any of their ingredients are GMO. You may be surprised as they may have no clue what you are talking about.  Use this as an opportunity to briefly share with them what a GMO is and why you don’t eat GMOs. Let them know that most soy is GMO so if they use soy in any products, it is probably GMO. Their allergen statement should also be able to tell you if soy is used in any product.
  • Remember that “garlic oils” and “shake-on seasonings” may contain a bunch of questionable ingredients and MSG. Ask them if there are any specialty oils, butter sauces, or seasoning mixes used on their pizzas. If they can’t tell you the ingredients in those, ask them not to use it on yours.
  • Do they use high fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners in their sauces or dough? These sweeteners are probably derived from GMO sources – including “sugar”.
  • Most vegetables will not be GMO, unless they have corn, tofu, zucchini or yellow squash toppings. I would avoid those.
  • What about cellulose in their cheese? Are flavorings and preservatives added to the cheese as well?

Beware that often times the restaurant employees truly do not know the answers to your questions, and will give you incorrect answers.  For instance, they may tell you that their cheese is “100% real cheese”, without realizing that the pre-shredded bag of cheese in the back contains an ingredient list.  On that ingredient list, they will likely find cellulose, some preservatives, and possibly some flavors and colors.  It’s good to remember that it’s not all that it seems on the surface, and in order to find out what is really in their food they will need to read the ingredient list on the box, bag or can that the menu item comes in. The bottom line – If they won’t tell you what is in their food, don’t eat there.

They don’t expect the average customer to demand answers about their food!

Only four of the restaurants I investigated publish their current ingredient lists online – Dominos, Uno’s, Papa Murphy’s, Cici’s. (Pizza Hut publishes them online, but they admitted to me they aren’t current in an email). As in my Chipotle investigation, I had to be extremely persistent over several months to get the limited information that I did from the other restaurants. This took multiple phone calls, voicemails, emails, and website contact forms – which often went unanswered. I had to ask specific questions about obscure ingredients. They are counting on the average customer to not do this! 

On Papa John’s website, they say that their cheese is “crafted from 100% mozzarella and high-quality milk by one of America’s finest cheese producers” – But the ingredients tell the real story. Now we know their cheese also contains wood pulp and modified food starch… and that IT’S NOT 100% CHEESE. When Papa John’s claims in all of their advertising that they have “Better Ingredients”, yet they won’t openly tell us what they are, it’s a safe bet they’re hiding something.

I wonder if any of these restaurants will have the courage to discuss this issue. Will they do the right thing now that we are calling them out, like Chipotle did when they finally released their full ingredient list online for everyone to see? These companies do not deserve our business, until they publish their ingredients online and make them easily accessible to the average customer.

What to eat instead:

Okay, this is the good part! I’m thrilled to say that I’ve found some pizza places that are doing it right! 

Pizza Fusion – I called up a Pizza Fusion restaurant and they freely answered every question I had about their ingredients – a big WIN in my book!  Their sauce is super simple: organic tomatoes, olive oil, water – and no nasty additives or hidden MSG. They only use olive oil in the restaurant, so you won’t find any GMO soybean or canola oil here. They confirmed with me that their gluten-free crust no longer contains canola oil and that they are diligent about preventing cross-contamination with gluten. I was really happy to find out that all of their meat toppings are antibiotic-free! Their chickens are also fed a non-GMO diet. Many of their veggie toppings are organic and local, and all are non-GMO. This varies and depends on what is seasonally available, so simply ask them which veggies are organic when you order. They have about 12 locations right now, and I really hope they grow into a larger chain so that more of us have access to pizza places like this!

Pure Pizza – I simply love this place. If you are ever in Charlotte, this is the place to go. They have an amazing organic sprouted grain crust, and source their toppings locally.

Truly Organic Pizza – This pizza chain in Florida is USDA certified organic. Because of this, none of their ingredients can be GMO, and all of their meats are antibiotic-free and not injected with hormones. I called them up and asked specifically about hidden MSG ingredients. They told me that they do not use any flavor enhancers such as autolyzed yeast extract or hydrolyzed proteins to season their food. They cook their meatballs and chicken from scratch and only season them with basic seasonings like what we would use at home! This is another great option if you are in Florida.

My Favorite Homemade Pizza Recipe – If you don’t have pizza restaurants like these in your neck of the woods, my homemade pizza recipe is super simple and will be ready in less time than it would take you to order and have it delivered – I promise! This recipe cures my pizza craving in no time! 

If you know someone who is ordering or eating pizza with these terrible ingredients, help them make the switch by sharing this very important information with them!

Together we are changing the world, one company at a time, by sharing the truth. 

Xo,

Vani 

 

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1,142 responses to “If You’ve Ever Eaten Pizza Before, This Will Blow Your Mind (Maybe Literally)

  1. Well done Vani & the Food Babe Army!

    May I suggest you give us the email addresses of some companies who are NOT co-operating with you & we all can flood them with polite requests for the real ingredients 😉

    Keep up the great work!
    Eric!

    1. Their facebook pages are even better! 🙂 All the press can see what’s happening! 🙂

      1. Pizza restaurant? In New York, where we have real pizza, we eat in pizzarias. You’re talking basically about fast food places.

      2. I would just like to address the folks who claim to be fine in spite of all the additives and impurities they eat… That is not the issue here. The public (consumer) has a RIGHT to know what they are putting in their bodies. It should be a legal issue. However, in our current system of food production management, dominated by multi billion dollar interests, vendors don’t want to disclose that information, because they fear (know) it wil affect their sales or production costs. But consumers ALWAYS have the right to ask questions, and to appeal to the public if companies willfully obstruct disclosure. Furthermore, denial on the part of the masses is precisely the mechanism food production interests rely on to be able to add poison to food. We the people are our own advocates. I wish prosperity for the ignorant, but prefer education as a strategy for a more fulfilling life.

  2. Oh no! I love Mellow Mushroom and thought their dough was organic, along with their mac n cheese. Now looking at their website it says “all natural” which means nothing! Did they change things recently or I was mistaken? Thankfully we make organic at home 90% of the time, but as a treat this is where I loved to go. Thank you for this insight!

    1. Organic wheat is modern, hybrid wheat unless it is Kamut. Hybrid wheat causes too much body fat.

  3. Reading the list of ingredients in a pizza is a bit of a wake up call frankly.

    Although I’m not big on pizza hut types of pizza, we do like to eat the thin oven crust pizzas at home. (Pair it with a huge green salad and a glass of Chianti and you have dinner in 15 minutes!)

    But now, thanks to you Vani, I’ll be more mindful of the types of pizzas I buy. I may even just skip the store bought and make my own gluten free version: no MSG in there!

    Caroline
    XO

  4. I am so SO happy about this investigation! I literally started jumping up and down when I saw the title. I also tried to find out the ingredient list from Little Ceasars only to be hit with a brick wall. Who doesn’t love pizza!?!?!?!… just keep it clean PLEASE!!!! Keep up the fantastic WORK!!!! Go Food Revolution!!! xxoo

  5. In the nicest way possible I have to wonder, why are you at all surprised by this? These are all crummy fast food joints: obviously their “food” will contain loads of junk. This really isn’t a huge discovery! Make your own food people so you can know what’s in it.

    1. Laura, I totally agree. These investigations into Kraft macaroni and cheese, Subway and now fast food pizza chains. Huh, really these are mind blowing investigations? So Subway changes one ingredient because of one 0f these earth shattering investigations, give me a break it will still kill you just as fast as it did before. Here is my press release to all who follow this garbage, junk food is junk, by doing a supposed investigation into it does nothing!

    2. You really miss the point. Yes, you may be the most intelligent man in the world and know all, but not everyone is blessed with your knowledge. The mission is to put pressure on the corporations, be they Subway, Breweries, Pizzarias, etc. The more people Food Babe enlightens creates more pressure on the corporations. Get it?

      1. They are corporations, they are in it to make money end of story. They have no obligation to feed people healthy meals. They aren’t in the business of helping people lose weight or achieve a healthier lifestyle. That just comes down to personal choices. If you want to live a healthy life, don’t eat fast food and crap like that! It’s pretty simple really.

  6. Except that there is no data to backup the claim that MSG is at all harmful at the levels included in these pizzas. Same goes for GMO (in and of itself).

      1. That article you posted is about how glutamate reacts with people that have Huntington’s disease. It also never says anything specifically about MSG. It refers to the amino acid glutamate or glutamic acid which is essential to every day brain functions. Your article, which you clearly cherry picked for that one quote, does not support the claim that MSG is dangerous or harmful in any way.

  7. I do eat frozen pizzas but it’s an Organic pizza from Simple Truth Organics. I use to eat Amy’s pizzas but after I started reading what is in her pizzas I stopped buying them. When I decided to eat nothing but Organics I stopped going out to eat. Besides it cost me less to eat in.

      1. Hi,
        Amy’s doesn’t use Organic cheese. There are other things not Organic but right off I can’t remember what those items are.

  8. I am a fellow Charlottean and I love Pure Pizza! I just went there for the first time and was really impressed. I wrote a blog post about my visit to the 7th Street Market recently (my own much smaller scale blog, inspired by you and my own quest for a healthy life!) but I also created a page that lists restaurants in Charlotte that focus on more local ingredients. http://www.simplypureliving.net. I love all the work you’re doing, thank you!

  9. Thanks again for your hard work – the moral of the story for me: buy local, organic fresh food from a co-op or like grocery and cook at home! Yes, I do eat out, but not nearly as often I used to do when I weighed over 300 lbs, Now 4 years later and counting and lots of support (from food recovery groups and friends) and mindfulness practice I ‘m a healthy 175 – without any blood pressure meds or any meds in fact. I have my life back. And not surprisingly my number 1 food of choice at least 3 or 4 times a week for years was PIZZA delivered at home.
    Keep on, keeping on! Much gratitude.

  10. Thanks for sharing. It blows my mind that these places will not tell you what is in the food!?!?! From now on we will just refer to them all as chemical food.

    Food Baby Army lets get this one going. Demand real food not chemical food!

    1. Jason, after you read all this garbage about what is in the pizza, go down to Pizza Hut and order a large extra meat special and come back and tell me how good that was. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a little to get something that tastes so good.

  11. Wow…unbelievable what big companies think they can get away with… Messing with people’s health just in the name of making ‘profit’. Sad to think they are human just like me…
    It gives me confirmation of my long-term suspicion…why they won’t share info of whats in their food, maybe they have something to hide…
    We had local restaurants pizza leftover on the toaster for few days and we saw it didn’t really change colors nor stunk…thought that’s odd…usually they will smell or some blue/green stuff growing on them…but nothing! So, just to see what happens, we let it go…think after a month or so, still nothing… We got scared and decided to throw away…
    Best think to defend ourselves, education and make as much as you can at home. We started to make our own bread, ham and mayo! We know exactly what goes in them and in our bodies!!
    Thank you for all your hard work!

  12. You should do one on frozen pizzas also, I rarely eat at these chains but do buy those when in the mood for some junk food.

  13. Love your posts, do you know if someone is translating them to Brazilian Portuguese? Do you Instagram?

  14. The day I walked into a Pizza Hut and saw some kid spraying something from a can on my pizza I stopped eating there all together. I love pizza and it is very hard to find Organic pizza in Mesa, AZ. I am going back to the basics and start making my own dough and sauce again 🙂 Good work foodbabe. So glad I joined your army.

  15. Thanks, Vani – another great investigation! What are your thoughts on some of the frozen options, like Amy’s Organic Pizza? It seems like a safe(r) bet to me, but want to get your thoughts.

  16. Well, now I know why Dominos tastes so good, and why I crave it. Bye-bye take-out pizza! From now on, I am making my own at home!

    Thank you Vani – your site is amazing and all the hard work you do is very much appreciated!!

  17. I know some places just get their ingredients from distributors like peterson cheese. so maybe try some of the supply chains.

  18. Now we have a health reason as well as a political reason not to support Pappa John’s.
    Love you, Babe! Keep up the good work!

  19. Great investigation Vani. I was anxiously reading, hoping that I wouldn’t see anything negative about Pizza Fusion, which is my go-to pizza place here in Tampa. I’m thrilled to hear that they were so open with you about their ingredients and procedures. Keep up the good work, no matter how controversial it may be to some people!

  20. MSG is an excitotoxin that can cause severe asthma attacks, migraines, nausea, dizziness, and even send people to the emergency room. Excitotoxins like MSG and Asparatame kill brain cells and are linked to brain diseases like Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s. The scary truth is that MSG is in nearly all prepackaged and processed foods, nearly all junk food, nearly all fast food, and apparently about 75 percent of all restaurant food. Avoiding MSG, which is listed under hundreds of different names, means making whole foods at home, preferably organic, or choosing places to eat that serve organic restaurants. MSG used to be only associated with Chinese restaurants, and it is a major ingredient in Asian cuisine here and in Asia. We now know that MSG is in so much of the food out there. And it shouldn’t be an ingredient in any food. The health cost is too high. As noted, MSG is what is linked to obesity, too. MSG is what scientists use to fatten up the mice for obesity research. It works every time. The mice eat and eat, unable to stop themselves. MSG is a cheap food addictive that is supposed to keep us all coming back for more. It is time that MSG was banned.

  21. Thanks again, Food Babe! That’s why we eat sooo much. By the way – What is happening at LEDO’S Pizza? Their crust is heavenly. It has to be filled with sugar and other crap.

  22. Vani,
    Thanks for the great info and hard work!
    I noticed a new Pizza Chain Uncle Maddio’s has opened several locations here in Atlanta claiming fresh ingredients, Made-From-Scratch Secret Recipe Dough and Pizza Sauce, Homemade Salad Dressings, Gluten Free Dough, Organic Spinach, etc.
    It would be nice to know if this is a safe place to eat.
    Thank you,
    Alan

  23. So glad to have Pizza Fusion nearby but really disappointed in Mellow Mushroom. I actually had one location tell me that they use only olive oil while another admitted to soybean oil. They really need to get with the program!

  24. This is infuriating! I expected horrible ingredients from most of these companies, but I did expect Papa Johns to be a little better since that’s basically their slogan, and I definitely expected Mellow Mushroom to be clean- I am so disappointed in them for not disclosing ingredients. What a shame.

  25. This is why I make organic pizza home from scratch. It’s a lot of work, but worth it.

    Thanks so much Vani!

  26. Pure Pizza has the best pizza in Charlotte. I wish some other restaurants in our area would get with the program! Thanks for keeping us healthy and informed, Vani.

  27. Great job. I was angry at California Pizza Kitchen. When you order their whole wheat pizza it’s far from whole wheat. It’s multi grain and the calories and fat is far worse than there regular pizza dough. The only thing healthy at this restaurant is if you ask for a bowl of lettuce which I am quite sure is not organic. CPK is by far the worst pizza restaurant on the planet.

  28. I miss pizza fusion. There used to be one in Hillcrest. The closest one to me now is Temecula I think. Local Habit might be non gmo though.

  29. Fantastic, as always! I adore Pure Pizza and eat there almost daily since I work in the market with them. In addition to fresh ingredient pizzas, they also have fantastic salads and gluten free crust options. They even have some great vegan “cheese” as well that is not soy based. Keep up the great investigations!

  30. I am not surprised to read all this, although what I really find unsettling is the unwillingness of these companies to disclose their ingredients. Great job, Vani and thank you for all the hard work! I hope you inspire many more people to be more vigilant with the ingredients in their diet.

  31. come to Chicago, you won’t be subjected to eat at any of these fake pizza places you listed….

  32. These pizza crust ingredients and the yoga mat bread caused me a few trips to the hospital with mesenteric lymphadenitis. It can be mild like menstral cramps or really painful like appendicitis. It took me three years and the help of food babe to figure out what was causing it. I stay away from those ingredients and I’m fine. I still get very angry thinking about how many people are getting sick.
    Thank you food babe!!! Xoxo

  33. can you recommend a good pizza dough so we can make our own pizza’s at home. Seems like that will be much better and healthier. thanks for all your great info!!

  34. Oy! Food Babe, pizza is my favorite food. I try and make it vs. buy it, but every now and then…. I appreciate your work.

  35. I agree in most ways but please don’t just the “smaller business owners” (like me) who work our butts off to grow our business and make a living AND DO NOT USE MSG in any of our fresh items that we make fresh daily including our dough… And just to point out … We don’t give out our ingredients not because we are scared of you finding out some secret gross ingredient!! It’s simply because we don’t want other competitions to copy our recipe! So please do a bit more research before pointing fingers about pizza restaurants and cover both sides of the story.

    1. Lena – we all have the right to know what we are eating. Coca Cola has kept their recipe formula a secret for years while disclosing the ingredients on the package… You don’t have to disclose how much of a certain ingredient you use – just what they are.

      1. Thanks for that I obviously know that we all have a right to know what were eating… That wasn’t what I was trying to imply when I said that we don’t give out our ingredients… I can happily take you back to our restaurant and show you everything we make right in front of you… Including our real blocks of cheese that we cut ourselves

  36. I assume the cheeses in those pizzas are from cows injected with rbST or rBGH growth hormone. It would be very expensive to buy cheese from companies not using those growth hormones as milk production is a fraction of a cow treated with a growth hormone… sad…

  37. What about “The Loop” pizza? It is not a large chain but there are some scattered all over the place.

  38. Hi Vani,
    Great work!! would love to find out more about other Pizza companies like Z Pizza and Flippin Pizza which in general use better ingredients and have organic options for those of us not in Charlotte or on the east coast.
    Thanks

  39. Do we need to watch mom and pop pizza joints as well? I live in Connecticut where there are a ton of non franchise pizza places. Also new York contains alot of mom and pop places. Should we investigate them?

    1. Mom and pop stores often source their ingredients from large corporations. Most of them don’t know what is in the food.

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