Domino’s has pledged to reduce the calories in its products, just weeks after an ex-health minister criticized the fast food chain over selling Creme Egg cookies.
Pizza chain with more than 1,300 outlets in the UK has announced plans to reduce sodium, fat, and sugar levels on its menu to address public health concerns.
Lord Bethell had previously said that Domino’s executives should “be ashamed of themselves” after introducing cookies containing an entire Cadbury Creme Egg. Each cookie contains 370 calories.
He said, “This is disgusting.” It’s a whole Cadbury Cream Egg in a Domino’s Cookie.
These are serious food corporations. What were they thinking?
Domino’s replied by saying that the cookies are comparable to similar items on the high-street.
Recently, it has introduced new products like smaller pizzas with 600 calories and wraps that have fewer than 450 calories. It also introduced a variety of plant-based meals to attract vegans.
Domino’s stated in a recent report: “We take our responsibility to help customers maintain a healthy diet seriously. We encourage them to eat less sugar, salt and fat, and eat fewer calories.”
Concerns about obesity are driving the pressure on food and beverage companies to improve their products.
Nestle, the company that owns Kit Kat and Aero, was told by a group of investors including Legal & General Investment Management to sell fewer bars last month.
LGIM filed a joint resolution with ShareAction and other Nestle shareholders ahead of the annual general meeting of Nestle in April, calling on the board of directors to set new sales targets for healthier products.
The rollout of healthier food and drinks hasn’t always been as planned for the food and beverage industry.
After just a year on the market, Nestle’s Shreddies “Simple”, a cereal with only four ingredients, was withdrawn in 2022.
Cadbury has also scrapped its reduced-sugar version of Dairy Milk by 2023, due to lack of demand.
Domino’s pizzas can be very calorific. Some large pizzas contain more than 2,000 calorie.
A large Cheeseburger Pizza, for example, has 2,363 calories. Meanwhile, a large Mighty Meaty Pizza contains 2,472 calories – nearly topping the recommended intake of an adult male of 2,500 calories.
Domino’s plans to install heat pumps in their stores and use more electric vehicles, as well as improving its environmental credentials.