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.
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.”
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).
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.
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
Thank-you for the information on pizza! Have you done any research on frozen pizza? I buy Amy’s cheese pizza for my kids and am wondering how it rates. Thanks!
She just gave you all the ingredients to look out for. Why not take that box of Amy’s cheese pizza and look for yourself?
Thanks for the wonderful tip! I have done that as I read labels all of the time. I am wondering about the MSG because I know some of Amy’s other products say no msg added.
I’ve read a lot about the crust of pizza, but I can’t find a good & healthy sauce. Can you help me?
Thank you so much for your hard work. We all know that fast food is bad for us…but without someone like you really breaking it down, it is easy for us to be apathetic. This forces us to take a really good look at what these food like products are actually doing to our health and the health of our children; and to make better choices.
You rock!
Good story, but it really doesn’t matter. Even if the meat and cheese didn’t have any preservatives, it’s still grounded, processed and or cut meat and cow’s milk. None of that is healthy anyway (disclaimer: I’m a Vegan).
How can you tell if someone is a vegan?
Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.
hahaha
Hahahahaha. Perfect.
Damn right we’ll tell you! 😀 oh, and in case you didn’t catch it….I’m vegan!!
Bravo!!
What about pizza rev or shakeys
I love Papa Murphy’s pizzas and they have a detailed ingredient list posted on their site: http://feaf0607108c567940ca-4fff68515b3b54da1eb906d30e23ed66.r6.cf5.rackcdn.com/127/detailed_ingredient_info_2.pdf
Commenting back from email from Food Babe: FROM FB: Interesting that you cite regulations as the problem. My experience is that, while I do not agree with every reg, most are in place for good reason. That good reason is that history has taught us that the food industry will not hesitate to endanger the health of its customers or the well-being of its own workers without such regulations.
I can not believe you would make such a blatantly false accusation! There is a reason for regulation yes….over regulation NO! And “History has taught you that the food industry will not hesitate to endanger the health of its customers”?????? What kind of sweeping generalization is that ignorant statement? Yes there are bad apples who will practice bad business practices, but wholesale condemnation of the industry without an ounce of fact behind it just showes you are an ignorant activist with no facts behind you. spend some time with the facts…..they are interesting and eye opening.
It’s the same as the ingredients listed. Most of the crap up there is wrapped in statements like “might” or “usually” or similar terms that tell the attentive reader that she’s just guessing. Unfortunately, most of the Internet is filled with people who lack critical thinking skills, and who treat any statement in print as fact.
The intro for this article should say “I didn’t get any useful information, so I made some stuff up that would get more people to click here.”
Duh…she just DID a whole post on why! Are you not able to green from what you just read above?? Have you read ANY lables in a store and bothered to find out what the ingredients are!? Have you actually read some of the latest studies! I have! The study, mind you, not the abstract or editorial analysis! Do you understand who OWNS most of the popular food manufacturers? Only a few corporations who are out for money! You are the ignorant person. Get educated! Come back when you have an intelligent argument!
OK. Let me clarify. I have OWNED a food brokerage company for 20 years. lived in the industry for 35 years. I know many of the Corporations that you feel so free to demonize without any understanding of what it takes to actually make affordable safe food. So yes I am intimately familiar with ingredient statements. The STUDIES you refer to……. no because you did not actually reference one. Or any for that matter. The companies that you so feel free to knock down, provide food to people who can not afford the luxury of ORGANIC or otherwise expensive food that does not work for the working man. Guess what…. as much as I appreciate your good natured desire for your Utopian food world, some of us live, yes actually live, in the real world. US food companies have the highest quality standards in the world. not all of it meets your standards, and that is fine, however, universal condemnation of those companies is wrong.
let me see your studies, let me hear your rants on how you think we should all eat organic…..but do me a favor, stop for a second and think about those people who can not afford your ideals, nor have time to cook all the wholesome meals you have time for.
To Chad…wow, that last response to me was the most insulting, pareonizing response I’ve ever seen. You make a lot of assumptions about who I am. I suppose I did the same. My bad…although your response is proving my point. I am not going to list studies! Seriously, you can look those up yourself. You don’t always have to buy all organic. Anyone can afford rice and beans with veggies! And the reason all that other food full of chemicals (did those corporations get them cheap?) is because the corn (Monsanto poison) is subsidized by the government, the UDSA is manned by ex-Monsanto mafia and our government has become a self-licking ice cream cone! Don’t beleive me? Look at the Documentary “King Corn” or “Food, Inc.”. Read the books , ask questions.im not sitting in a castle cooking all organic. I rarely buy anything in a box or a can except for rice. All my food comes out of the ground, some of which I grow myself. So, get off your high horse.
So, Chad, you just insulted this web site, those who investigate ingredients, science, studies, research, and people who replied to you. You demand to see their homework, yet you’ve provided none of your own except to claim you’ve worked in the industry. What does that mean? Where are your reports that prove MSG is healthy and the other ingredients are absolutely not cancer-causing?
Anyhow, as you say, YOU KNOW THEY ADD CHEMICALS AND PRESERVATIVES IRRESPECTIVE OF THE DANGERS, because something something “the working man.” Heh.
I dare say the markets are more flexible and accommodating than your biased anti-government, anti-health stance. If people knew about the garbage they were consuming, they’d shape the market to provide a healthy alternative.
Green, healthy, local, organic purveyors of food will appear to replace the companies that serve processed chemicals. The market can make it happen.
BTW… what over-regulation are you fearful of? The kind that requires the listing of ingredients? Why is that? The kind that mandates the inspection of foods? Why is that? The kind that prevents the use and sale of carcinogenic/poisonous/addictive ingredients? Why do you prefer business profits over the common good?
When the government caused Coca Cola to take cocaine out of sodas, do you consider that government overreach?
You tea baggers are such ideologues, you never hesitate ignore truth and evidence in favor of your invented pro-business narrative… where poor giant corporate conglomerates are unfairly criticized by the evil, wicked, tree-loving hippies.
Good response, Joe! He won’t answer anymore. He’s a coward who just enjoys trying to get us all rattled! He knows he’s wrong and doesn’t really stand a chance against all the evidence and proof! So, let’s bid a fond farewell to the hanging Chad! Hee hee
I am honestly blown away! It scares me how these companies can get away with sneaking deadly chemicals into our food without us knowing!?! Sticking to fresh organic produce and making your own food is the only way to stay away from this…
Thank you for spreading the awareness!
Cara
http://www.bubblyxo.com
I’m surprised, yet I shouldn’t be. I am, however, extremely disappointed. My family eats a lot of pizza, too much really (average 4x a month/1x a week). It’s such an easy meal that pleases everyone especially when we’re short on time, and it’s a fun treat or party food. We started making our own pizza years ago, but only occasionally. However, armed with this revelation we’re making a BIG change in my house! I won’t promise to never purchase one of these pizzas ever again, but I have promised my family we won’t be purchasing them on a regular basis, not even even once a month. To help ensure this, I’ll be a taking a couple hrs every Sunday to prep food & meals for the week, that way when we’re short on time everything is ready to go!
#FoodBabe, THANK YOU. I think a lot of us suspected chain pizza is hiding chemicals & additives, but it was an inconvenient truth that many of us don’t want to face, because once we know the truth, we can no longer justify the action (serving dangerous chemicals to our families). But I’m one mama ready to face the facts and make changes!
Godspeed #FoodBabe ! and Live the Truth #FoodBabeArmy !
It was not so long ago that being truthful was fairly normal and most people were basically honest and they expected that from other individuals as well as companies. Think Golden Rule here.
And if you have a standard of being honest in your life (no human is 100% honest, though many try to be) , it becomes hard to imagine people and companies that might have a plaque of strong honest values in the main entrance, but behind the scenes, deception and cover up is the actual rule.
Fifty years ago, few people had any idea how addictive food laced with sugars would become. It tasted good and it was hard to imagine any company producing something that was not “good” for people and defending that to boot!
Now that most of us know that honesty is the exception in our society and “spin”, or hiding the truth about our food is the new rule, we know that we must double and triple check every food we choose to eat. In this case of course that means every food source, food producer and food processor and food store. This is an incredibly sad commentary on the state of our current society.
Money is the highest goal for most food corporations.
As we learn more and more about how bad many foods are for us, these companies selling those foods do not want to lose their place in our diet, so they act like they will fix all the issues, but often they simply change the labeling or the kind of sugar source they put in the same food.
“Food Babe”, Doctor OZ, and a few other doctors who are willing to stand against the tide of corruption and contamination of our food souces both for our health’s sake. I could not be happier that such people are willing to stand up for all of our health’s sake. We need many thousands more people throughout the USA standing up for what is right and true. We have the power to change our food world, but only if we stand up for what is right. It’s never going to be easy, but it has never been more necessary.
Jeff From Chicago
CHECK outizza Luce in Minneapolis.
If you’re ever in Ann Arbor, MI, check out Silvio’s Organic Ristorante Italiano & Pizzeria http://www.silviosorganicpizza.com. It’s delicious!
Great article, even more things I cant eat!
What are the best store bought pizzas?
For California Pizza Kitchen ingredients, just go to a grocery store and read the ingredient list on their frozen pizzas. These frozen pizzas most likely have the same ingredients as the California Pizza Kitchen Pizzas in the restaurants.
Small mountain town of Felton, California, Redwood Pizza serves up a delicious organic pizza…. not just one but several along with organic salads…. now Costco has frozen, delicious pizza here in nearby Santa Cruz, CA.
No self respecting New Yorker would ever eat in any of the pizza chains you mentioned. No self respecting New Yorker would ever eat in a pizza chain period!
I guess we’re lucky to have the real thing here. You can go into any neighborhood pizzeria and ask the owner about their ingredients and almost all of them would be proud to show you, not just tell you. Sorry if I come off arrogant about our pizza but it’s the one thing we New Yorkers can legitimately be arrogant about.
The guy who makes the pizza in my neighborhood is from Italy, he makes the pizza’s right in front of you and has the ingredients all out for everyone to see. If ya’ gotta’ hide it ya’ gotta’ problem!
Domino’s looks like plastic, Papa Johns is just disgusting and California Pizza Kitchen is a contradiction in terms.
No self respecting New Yorker would ever eat in any of the pizza chains you mentioned. No self respecting New Yorker would ever eat in a pizza chain period!
I guess we’re lucky to have the real thing here. You can go into any neighborhood pizzeria and ask the owner about their ingredients and almost all of them would be proud to show you, not just tell you. Sorry if I come off arrogant about our pizza but it’s the one thing we New Yorkers can legitimately be arrogant about.
The guy who makes the pizza in my neighborhood is from Italy, he makes the pizza’s right in front of you and has the ingredients all out for everyone to see. If ya’ gotta’ hide it ya’ gotta’ problem!
Domino’s looks like plastic, Papa Johns is just disgusting and California Pizza Kitchen is an oxymoron.
Okay, I came up with a little game… Can you match these “slogans” with the correct imposter-pizza PIZZA chain? 🙂
1. “Hot-N-Deadly” 2. “Handcrafted With Poison” 3. “Bad Ingredients. Bad Pizza” 4. “Authentic Carcinogenic-style Cuisine” 5. Mel.O Mystery Pizza 6. “Phony Hut. Make It Fake” 7. “The Least Honest Pizza” 8. “ONo’s Chemicalria & ILL. The Danger Runs Deep”.
This is just another example of how we are being lied to about our food, this insanity has to stop, thanks for a great article.
MSG is just another sodium and your body can’t tell the diff. Scientists have long debunked the MSG myth that it is somehow more harmful than any other type of sodium. The REAL killer IS sodium, in any form. Pizza, processed foods, fast foods are drenched in it. That should be your biggest concern because all that sodium leads to obesity and heart disease.
What they really don’t want you to know about is the dough conditioners and preservatives they use/put in their stuff. Those chemicals are the freak show in the food industry.
Thanks Paul, for the only seemingly informed reply here. Can you please elaborate on the dangers of dough conditioners and preservatives?
If my body can’t tell the difference, then I would love to know why I get horrible headaches after eating anything with MSG( or autolyzed yeast extract, or any of the other names it goes by) in it- even if I don’t know until after the fact that it’s there.
You could genuinely have a sensitivity/allergy to it, just like people are allergic to peanuts, shellfish, strawberries, or lactose. This does not mean that MSG is bad for everyone, it’s only bad for people who are sensitive to it.
It has been well documented that MSG is a neurotoxin. Like many other substances, the mere fact it contains the same elements does not mean that it is safe if some other compound is safe. MSG that occurs naturally in food may not be a problem, but adding it to food is certainly a problem. People become sensitized over time, and I think a lot of people have symptoms of MSG toxicity, but they don’t realize what is causing it. I ate MSG with impunity for many years, but it wrecked my adrenal glands, and one of the consequences was that I started having panic attacks. My adrenal glands were not making enough gamma linolenic acid. If I supplemented with evening primrose oil when I had a panic attack, it would subside quickly. MSG also causes me severe gastrointestinal distress, and the only thing that will stop it is a detox. Dr. Russell Blaylock wrote a book called Excitotoxins. I recommend you read it, because you have shown that you are unaware of the harm MSG causes.
thanks for your work!
Wait, pizza is potentially unhealthy? And restaurants won’t reveal their recipes to you? Both of those facts are truly mind-blowing. Thanks for this hard-hitting journalism, food babe!
oh man, your biting sarcasm real saw to the heart of this matter! PS there is a difference between an ingredients list and a recipe, but let me guess, you’re too manly to be in the kitchen?
What about BJ’s Pizza and Brewhouse. This is arguably the best pizza I ever had.
Okay. so I agree with making it yourself. Question: aren’t the commercial sauces in a jar or can, or tomato sauce and paste laced with these same bad ingredients? Can we just say all red sauce?
None of this really seems like a revelation to me. Furthermore, the author’s sensationalist slant makes me skeptical of some of the claims.
For example, the article briefly calls out nitrates and nitrites, stating that “whenever this is added to a meat, there is a really good chance that it contains cancer-causing Nitrosamines.” First of all, nitrate is an essential part of the curing process for making bacon, pastrami, pepperoni, etc. Even organic “no-nitrate” bacon will have nitrate (often disguised as celery juice or celery salt). Curing isn’t curing without nitrate. Furthermore, nitrates are abundantly and naturally present in practically all vegetables. The vitamin C that is present in the veggies offsets the Nitrosamine production in the body, but if the veggies are cooked, then the vitamin C content diminishes, which makes the veggie practically as bad as eating any of the “poisonous” meats listed. Fact check me if you don’t believe me.
Sorry, Food Babe, but if any of your “safe” restaurants serve bacon or pepperoni of any kind, (or cooked veggies!) I’m 99% certain they’re serving at least one of your listed “bad” ingredients.
Before anyone gets angry, I would just like to say: I enjoy this blog.
That being said, I do not enjoy the way she is bullying these companies. Little Caeser’s was RIGHT to tell you to “just not eat there”. If you have such a problem – just don’t eat their pizza! Don’t bully and go after them and try to ruin their business.
I know how crappy Papa John’s pizza is. It’s fatty, cheesy, greasy, completely bad for me. And guess what? I still buy it! It is my conscious choice to pay money for that. It’s not your choice, it’s mine. So why do you have to bully them and ruin it for Papa John’s customers?
I think it’s great that you’re telling us what is really in our pizza. It’s good to know, I agree! But you’re over the line with badgering these companies. You don’t need to make it your life mission to completely ruin them because you don’t like their ingredients. You should be telling us what is really in our food, and let the companies handle themselves. And let us make our own decisions about where we want to eat, whether or not the ingredients are good or not. It’s our choice.
Enough is enough already. This is bad for you. that’s bad for you. Eat this and you cut your life expectancy, blah, blah, blah. Listen…the number 1 factor in determining how long you live is–wait for it—heredity. All these chemicals that are (supposedly) bad for you–preservatives and such, may have added to the fact that we now live into our 70s and 80s. Heredity and better living through chemistry. If you’re allergic, stay away. If not, well…worry kills people too.
I think what really gets under her skin is when they don’t respond to her repeated badgering. That’s the real reason why she goes after some and not others.
My problem with what she’s doing to these companies is that, while she’s trying to get them to list all ingredients, change or cut out ingredients, etc., at the same time she nor her followers would ever set foot in these places regardless of what they do to try to placate them.
Actually, I am GLAD she bullies these companies. I like pizza, but finding pizza that is truly safe to eat is nearly impossible. I am sick of the way companies harm our health for their own profit. It has gotten to the point where it is almost impossible to eat ANYTHING. We are being poisoned by our food. Go, Food Babe! Hassle the living daylights out of them for my sake!
This really doesn’t surprise me. I’m surprised that people really think chain restaurants/eateries actually care about providing GMO-free products. If you want a great pizza with real ingredients, make it at home. It’s simple to make your own pizza and cheaper.
Re: “Congress even voted to declare pizza a vegetable in the school lunch program. The government wants us to eat pizza – a lot of it.”
Not really. This article explains what actually happened:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/post/did-congress-declare-pizza-as-a-vegetable-not-exactly/2011/11/20/gIQABXgmhN_blog.html
You overlook one important fact here…. in 2013 the FDA made a provision to allow all makers of Dairy products (including Mozerella cheese) to add aspartame without having to list it as an ingredient. If you could make cheese taste a touch sweeter than the competition you more than like u would add aspartame to your product to increase sales. This also goes for yogurts too. Any type of cheese. The FDA is forcing us to have to go organic with their corrupt decisions. BTW, Aspartame converts to formaldehyde- a known carcinogen- when heated above 80 degrees farenheit. And our bodies are at 98.6 degrees farenheit. 😮 …..Write to the FDA and tell the bastards to go burn in hell!
I am allergic to MSG. When places hide it in their food I can have very adverse reactions, and it is ridiculous that places don’t have to post their ingredients. Luckily I don’t eat this kind of stuff anymore. Real food for me, please!
Do you have any information on Z Pizza?
Your research is outstanding! It goes to show you how big agra is in bed with the medical industry sickening one consumer at a time. It’s sick!
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I am sensitive to MSG, and I will know within an hour if I got any. Pizza doesn’t affect me this way. I don’t know if the other forms are harmful; I don’t recall Dr. Blaylock talking about them in his book Excitotoxins. Hydrolyzed Soy Protein is not a major ingredient in MSG. MSG is a major ingredient in Hydrolyzed Soy Protein. And soy can come from GMO, and probably does. You can detox from MSG using Detox by Solaray. One dose is 10 capsules. I think they use disodium inosinate/guanylate INSTEAD of MSG. I don’t know how bad it is, but it’s used with milk products. Not all the ingredients you list in your graphic are sources of MSG, but may be undesirable for other reasons. Thanks for alerting us to Pizza Hut sucrilose. I’ll never eat there again! I’ll jump all over them about it, too. By the way, the body DOES contain some glutimate type compound, but it isn’t a problem. It’s the stuff you eat that’s a problem.
There is a pizza place on Mount Lemmon in Arizona. The people who own it are very conscious of these health issues, but they buy their pizza sauce from an outside source, and it’s contaminated with some of these ingredients. They don’t know what to do about it. I wonder if they’d be able to source the sauce from Trader Joe’s.
I always just get veggies, but a pizza without cheese isn’t a pizza!
To group mellow mushroom in with these pizza chains is just silly. I know for a fact that they strive for the most quality ingredients available. NO MSG is used. As a rapidly growing company, I beleive the lack of information is just a part of their corporate ‘growing pains’. In the next week, there will be proof of my statement. I have worked for Mellow mushroom for many years, and to compare it to Little Caesars is absolute blasphemy.
Also, they have Gluten free options as well as vegan and vegetarian. Mellow Mushroom is a quality chain, and I am saddened that the lack of accesible information makes you jump to such conclusions….
Reading this made me want pizza.
“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. ”
I’ll grant a lot of what you say, but I’ll call you on this one. I’m highly intolerant to nitrites, nitrates, sulphites and sulphates, give or take on the spellings. They make me violently ill and no amount of benadryl will help, since it’s an intolerance, not an allergy. Sodium nitrite, also known as “pink salt” or “curing salt” is used in every piece of cured pork sold commercially in America. By law, to the best of my knowledge. It prevents boccelism, flawlessly. What it means, though, is that I haven’t been able to eat bacon without major problems since I developed the intolerance, because bacon without nitrites doesn’t exist. If you are eating any kind of cured pork (bacon, salami, pepperoni, ham steaks, or damn near any deli meat) you are consuming sodium nitrite. Unless you’re curing your own, in which case you’re either (a) very well informed about it already, or (b) using it without knowing what it is. Very possible.
Sorry to burst that particular bubble. But hey, on the upside, no boccelism!
Your point about MSG is well taken and people need to recognize its many forms. However, I really wish bloggers would stop spreading the myth that Congress declared pizza to be a vegetable. THEY DID NOT! Tomato sauce is a vegetable if it provides at least 1/8 cup in school food programs. Pizza may also provide whole grains and protein. Congress and the USDA do not promote eating pizza any more than any other food. If you would like a copy of the federal register or the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act guidelines, please contact me or it is available online.
This was news YEARS AGO. If anyone is eating fast food from a big name chain restaurant and cares that they’re eating MSG… WOW, mind blowing!!! MSG really isn’t anything to be concerned with compared to what is being pumped into the animals from which the meat toppings are derived. And small mom & pop pizzerias not disclosing their recipes / ingredients, ummm…. duh! They but if you must be told, yes, they’re secretly putting MSG in their water to, but we’re not suppose to know (kidding).
I used to deliver supplies to many restaurants on Long Island and was frequently in most of the kitchens including many pizza parlors. Most of what I saw in regards to oil was that they used a “mix” of oils consisting of soybean, canola, and refined olive oil – yuck! These oils were even used at so called “artisan” pizza places. It’s about the $$$$$ they save with ingredients, as long as the taste and appearance of the food continues to attract customers.
All I saw as a wall of words, and some awesome looking pizza. Poison is everywhere, in everything that we do. Stop breathing air, try that. I’m going to go enjoy life and eat a pizza, clones.
Be healthier……..buy your own ingredients, and make your OWN pizza…..way way better for you, and allows LOTS of creativity : ) Sadly, there are lots and lots of other ‘favorite’ foods out there that none of us should EVER eat. Learn to love your kitchen…love food, and love yourself.
Yeah, I’ve been trying to find a good pizza place in my area, with no luck. I wasn’t even looking for an organic one, just one with little or no additives. Does anyone know of one in California’s Victor Valley?
I don’t get it. Why is it, that people read blogs they really don’t believe in, to begin with, and act as though they were forced to read it. No one’s forcing anyone to do anything. I find it totally hilarious! And they get so mad like someone’s gonna take their toxic food away from them and force feed them good tasting, health promoting, organic food. Do yourself a favor and ignore this blog it might save you money on those blood pressure pills.
Alex from New York you are sooo right and actually quite funny as well!!
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what about donatos? or is the northern east coast the only states that have them?
Msg is also liked to blindness. Thats why i stay away from jamaican patties that contains msg.
The issue I have with this article and many articles in this genre, is the extrapolation of very vague scientific evidence into statements used to convince the audience. Comments like “(Splenda) – an artificial sweetener that has been shown to cause DNA damage to the gastrointestinal tract” is a great example. It caused DNA damage in mice organs at doses way way higher than we would ever experience. So, is the comment wrong… no, I guess not… but it’s sensational and incomplete.
There’s obviously no harm in leaving MSG out of your body, and I applaud the people that do it. But I personally would appreciate a more transparent discussion around the topic that does not contain spin and sensationalism, but is rather un-biased and fact focused.
Do a little research on MSG…it is not harmless or transparent. They are also spraying it on the fruits & vegetables you eat every day as a preservative….I can only assume you think organic is not really important either…. Go enjoy that Apple!
My wife gets terrible migraines from MSG. She has to avoid it and all of the related hidden versions or else experience a lot of pain. A person like her would appreciate a transparent ingredient list from any and all food producers.
My dad & two of my sons are terribly sensitive to MSG. It’s not a placebo effect! Terrible headaches, nightmares, hyperactivity… Yes, MSG sensitivity is very real!
I doubt you’re an actual scientist, based on your response. In fact, why are you defending MSG? Have you devoted time researching it yourself? If so, who are you paid by? What corporation? Im calling your bluff.
MSG sensitivity is real, and there is no denying it.
To the “chemist” above. Yes, and the body also produces hydrogen peroxide but does that means its ok to consume daily in our food in large quantities? Weak argument. The body produces lots of chemicals by reactions within the body and we wouldn’t necessarily eat it all the time. Just because its in every food doesn’t mean its ok. I work in the medical field and see how not taking care of our bodies and eating clean foods is a precursor for disease. Not one patient that I have taken care being treated for chronic diseases is there because they eat clean. All of them eat processed foods in LARGE quantities. Coincidence? Maybe? But scientific theory is just that…theory and if it can be replicated then it has merit and should be taken seriously. Patient after patient having similar eating habits could be considered just that. What we put in our bodies directly effects it. I suggest you stop just looking at chemical structures, step out of the lab to gain a larger perspective.
Itsjustme, your apparent misuse of the term ‘scientific theory’ weakens your argument. Try not to confuse ‘hypothesis’ with ‘theory’.
“John”- “The scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning…. The chief characteristic which distinguishes the scientific method from other methods of acquiring knowledge is that scientists seek to let reality speak for itself,[discuss] supporting a theory when a theory’s predictions are confirmed and challenging a theory when its predictions prove false.” Hypothesis is part of the process, theory is the end result. Which still makes it a theory until new testing and results are confirmed to change it…or not.
I guess I didnt explain the first answer best. The theory reference was to the chemist answer to the other post. MSG being safe. My experience with patients would be considered hypothesis, yes.
By “step out of the lab” they mean, stop looking at things scientifically and just read their blogs. As soon as the author criticized using GMO materials in the food I knew they were full of “organic matter”.
If Pizza Fusion grows too much they will probably need to order from a larger supplier. They will need cheap and widely available ingredients. I hope they don’t follow that path towards economies of scale.
Thanks for doing all this leg work. Had home made pizza for dinner.