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Pizza Pizza Joins Cauliflower Craze with New Cauliflower Crust Pizzas

Pizza Pizza Joins Cauliflower Craze with New Cauliflower Crust Pizzas

Pizza Pizza launches new cauliflower crust pizza in restaurants nationwide. The new pizza crust is the first cauliflower substitute at a quick service restaurant in Canada. (CNW Group/Pizza Pizza Limited)

It’s no surprise that the current health trend among consumers has reached the fast food industry. Canadian fast food chain Pizza Pizza is now modifying their menu to adapt to this. In a recent press release, the franchise announced their new cauliflower crust which is said to have a similar texture to the regular crust. In addition, it will contain two servings of vegetables in every 12-slice pizza. Consumers can choose to customize any order with this gluten free, vegan crust or purchase two of the new specially crafted recipes designed to complement the cauliflower crust.

“Pizza Pizza has always been a consistent innovator and we know consumers are on the hunt for trend-worthy meals that help them incorporate more vegetables into their diet. Our new Cauliflower Crust Pizza is our way of filling the void in the market. It will offer consumers the perfect healthier alternative they’ve been looking for in a pizza without compromising on taste,” said Pizza Pizza CEO, Paul Goddard.

This option might make the franchise more appealing to their Canadian consumers. A study conducted last year showed that eating healthy has become important to Canadians. It was found that 63 percent of Canadians believed what they eat affects their emotional well-being. Eighty-four percent believed that the food they consumed impacts their physical health.

Almost half of the consumers said they felt guilty when eating foods that aren’t considered healthy, the majority of which were women under 55. There also appears to be a difference between genders when it comes to eating habits with 80 percent of women reporting that they try to eat healthy opposed to 72 percent of men. These percentages are high and should be noted by restaurant franchises and food manufacturers. Why? Well, 45 percent of Canadians are interested in foods that are said to boost health and 40 percent look online to see what foods can support specific health goals.

Pizza Pizza seems to be keeping up with what consumers are looking for by introducing their new crust option. The demand for cauliflower-based foods has risen. Consumers are intrigued by recipes like “cauliflower chicken wings” and pizza crusts. This interest from consumers might come from a carbohydrate cut-down from their diets. Pizza Pizza isn’t the first to notice this trend.

American companies like Whole Foods, Eat Smart, Green Giant and Trader Joes have also rolled out cauliflower products. They have seen success with their cauliflower rice in particular. In 2017, the term “cauliflower rice” had a 60 percent increase in American Google search queries.

Cauliflower crust pizzas are also finding a lot of success in the food market. Caulipower, a Los Angeles-based company had debuted their own cauliflower crust pizzas in around 9,000 stores. Trader Joe’s soon followed and released their own line of cauliflower crust pizzas, which have been popular on social media. These companies aren’t particularly a threat to the Canadian pizza franchise giving Pizza Pizza a good chance of cashing in on this trend among Canadian consumers.

“We know there’s been an appetite to use cauliflower as a base for many dishes but it can be time-consuming and messy to make from scratch, with expectations rarely meeting the realities. We’re excited to bring a healthy option that is able to marry taste and convenience.” Pizza Pizza VP of Marketing, Alyssa Huggins said in a press release.