SOLON, Ohio -- Nestlé USA has pledged to improve the ingredient quality and nutritional profile of some of its most popular frozen pizza and snack brands without affecting taste.
Nestlé, a leader in the frozen pizza and snacking category, has announced the improvements that encompass more than 250 products across six brands in the U.S.: DiGiorno, Tombstone, California Pizza Kitchen, Jack’s, Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets.
By the end of 2015, Nestlé will have:
- Removed artificial flavors from every product within these brands.
- Reduced sodium by 10% (reductions figured as sales weighted line averages compared to 2013 sodium levels) across the entire portfolio of these six pizza and snack brands compared to 2013 levels.
- Incorporated guidance tools on packaging across these brands to help educate consumers on choosing appropriate portion sizes and the importance of eating vegetables and fruits as part of a balanced plate.
These changes build on Nestlé’s ongoing efforts to improve the nutritional and ingredient profile of its products while maintaining the taste consumers expect.
“We know people want to feel good about the foods they eat, and they’re seeking foods made with fewer artificial ingredients and less sodium,” said John Carmichael, president of the Nestlé Pizza & Snacking Division at Nestlé USA. “As one of the nation’s largest food companies, Nestlé is listening to consumers and delivering on their desire for convenient, great-tasting foods that have an improved nutritional profile.”
New Nestlé products launching this spring and summer will reflect these commitments, including California Pizza Kitchen Gluten-Free Crispy Thin Crust pizzas, which allow consumers to bake a great-tasting gluten-free pie inspired by the restaurant’s menu item at home. Additionally, DiGiorno Pizzeria! Thin, Hot Pockets Snack Bites and Breakfast Bites, Tombstone Limited Edition Diablo and Bratwurst pizzas and California Pizza Kitchen Hand-Tossed Style pizzas will reflect these commitments.
Several brands have developed new products to help provide consumers with appropriately portioned meal and snacks options. For example, the new Hot Pockets Snack Bites and Breakfast Bites offer consumers their favorite Hot Pockets flavors packed into bite-sized snacks with 230 calories or less per four-piece serving. The new DiGiorno Pizzeria! Thin offers the signature sauce and premium toppings the brand is known for on an airy thin crust. Both products are now available nationwide.
Nestlé USA brands include Nestlé Toll House, Nestlé Nesquik, Nestlé Coffee-Mate, Stouffer's, Lean Cuisine, Hot Pockets, Lean Pockets Brand Sandwiches, Nescafé, Buitoni, Skinny Cow, Dreyer's/Edy's Nestlé Crunch, Nestlé Butterfinger, Wonka, Digiorno and Tombstone. Glendale, Calif.-based Nestlé USA, with 2014 sales of $9.7 billion, is part of Nestlé SA in Vevey, Switzerland, with 2014 sales of $100 billion. The company’s Product Technology Center (PTC) research and development facility is located in Solon, Ohio.
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