Well this was a bit of unexpected yet promising news. Beginning January 26, 2015 Pizza Hut will now offer a certified gluten free pizza. That’s right! Taking things as a step further than Dominoes, Pizza Hut has partnered with Udi’s Gluten Free to offer a complete 10 inch gluten free pizza ($9.99) at select locations nationwide.
My first thought upon reading this news was what about cross contamination? Will the pizzas actually be built on site and how will franchises be educated to keep the gluten free pizzas safe?Well it looks like Pizza Hut thought more carefully than most with this launch and according to an article published by today’s USA Today ” The Udi’s gluten-free crust, as well as the cheese, marinara sauce and pepperoni, will be kept in a designated Gluten-Free Kit inside each restaurant. From there, every Pizza Hut Gluten-Free Pizza is to be baked fresh-to-order on parchment paper and delivered in a specially branded Udi’s Gluten-Free Pizza box. Also, all employees who make the Gluten-Free Pizza have been instructed to wear gloves and use a designated gluten-free pizza cutter.”
Look at God. A major company putting thought, concern, and care into the handling the execution of a gluten free food product that cohabitates with gluten free items. This is thrilling news for more than a few reasons. As most celiacs know when it comes to fast food dining it is all about choices and having one more option when it comes to being able to eat out or just feel a part of the team is nice. This is especially true since as a culture food is an integral part of everyone’s everyday life. From sporting events to lazy weekday dinners Pizza is most certainly an all American favorite. It is nice to now have a viable choice. Of course no once can expect this launch to be perfect and education on both the consumer and franchise end will take some time. But as a society we seem to be moving in the right direction in understanding and providing options to the thousands of people who suffer from food allergies as well as autoimmune disorders like celiac disease.
Of course the real test is the taste of this new pizza. Now I just need someone to get me a few samples to review ASAP :) Give me your thoughts about this news in the comments!
YOUR THOUGHTS
