Pizza Nova reformulates pepperoni

From left: Ace, Blue Jays Mascot; Domenic Primucci, President of Pizza Nova; Paul Beeston, CEO & President Toronto Blue Jays, Sam Primucci, Founder and CEO of Pizza Nova; Leonar-dough, Pizza Nova Mascot.

TORONTO — Pizza Nova introduced pepperoni sourced from animals that are Canadian-raised without antibiotics or hormones and vegetable grain-fed. Company president Domenic Primucci made the announcement at a press briefing held June 18 at Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto.

Pepperoni is Pizza Nova’s Number 1 topping, so it made sense to start with that ingredient when seeking to create healthier offerings, said Primucci at the briefing.

For almost a year, Pizza Nova worked with its supplier, Maple Leaf Foods, to produce a healthier pepperoni made from a blend of beef and pork. During the development process, Primucci tested the various pepperoni formulations with Pizza Nova call-centre employees in blind tastings. “We didn’t want to change the flavour profile of the pepperoni,” said Primucci.

The revamped pepperoni follows Pizza Nova’s introduction of trans fat-free dough, gluten-free multigrain crust and, in late 2014, Daiya mozzarella-style shreds (free of dairy, gluten, soy, lactose and non-GMO), all brought on to accommodate consumers’ changing dietary needs and meet their growing demand for healthier foods. “This is more of a shift in the market rather than a trend,” said Primucci.

Looking ahead, Primucci said Pizza Nova is testing other proteins, also with the aim of making them free of hormones and antibiotics. “All meats will be looked at,” he added.

In addition, the chain will “evaluate other better-for-you products entering the market and evaluate their suitability,” said Primucci. “We want to be at the forefront of the better-for-you category.”

Founded in 1963 by Sam Primucci, Domenic’s father, Pizza Nova operates over 140 locations in Ontario and plans to open about 10 new locations in 2015.

Each year, the chain sells more than 4 million pizzas, driving annual sales of more than $112 million, and uses 5.5 million pounds of cheese and 750,000 pounds of pepperoni.