CHICAGO -- Pizza consumption is trending up--consumers average 4.0 pizza occasions per month, up from 3.4 in 2014, according to Technomic's 2016 Pizza Consumer Trend Report.
Pizza consumption is trending at its highest level in the past four years, and showing growth for pizza-focused concepts across channels. To maintain this momentum and stay ahead in the competitive pizza space, operators must innovate and adapt to consumers’ evolving demands for unique, high-quality and better-for-you pizza ingredients and add-ons.
“Today’s consumers are less beholden to their standard pizza orders, as emerging players push the envelope of what’s expected on a pizza menu,” said Deanna Jordan, manager of consumer insights at Technomic. “New chef-designed specialty pizzas positioned as customizable thought-starters will serve to convey kitchen skills and allow for the personalization these consumers increasingly expect.”
Other takeaways from the report include:
- Unique toppings are increasingly key; 39% of consumers, up from 32% two years ago, say that new and innovative toppings are highly important in creating a good pizza.
- More consumers are demanding transparency in the pizza occasion; 32% of consumers, up from 25% in 2014, say it’s important to know the nutritional content of the pizza they eat.
Chicago-based Technomic, a Winsight company, is a food industry research firm serving food manufacturers and distributors, restaurants and retailers, other foodservice organizations and various institutions aligned with the food industry.
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