A new study released by the USDA, and conducted by the Food Surveys Research Group, revealed something that many of us already knew – Americans love pizza.
On any given day in America, 13% of adults eat pizza, and children (ages 2-19) are almost twice as likely to consume it. Additionally, the majority of pizza is consumed at dinner time – though for children it seems split down the middle between lunch and dinner.
The popularity of pizza is the subject of a new study called “Slicing the Pie: Pizza Stats and Trends in the US” conducted by Food Genius – a Chicago based technology and services company who tracks foodservice trends.
The appeal of pizza continues to grow with the introduction of non-traditional sauces (such as barbecue) – earning this popular food option a place on 40% of all restaurant menus across America.
"We’ve noticed in the last few quarters of data that pizza has gotten simpler, with restaurants putting more emphasis on fresh ingredients and new preparation methods,” says Food Genius cofounder Benjamin Stanley. “We've seen examples in our data with the rise of Margherita pizzas, as well as with the rising popularity of fast casual pizza chains like Pie Five Pizza Co. and Blaze Pizza.”
And many restaurants are beginning to capitalize on this trend.
There’s been a 1 percent increase, between Q2 and Q4, in the number of chain restaurants that include Margherita pizza on their menu. And pizza itself is the leading gluten-free offering – appearing on 38 percent of all menus throughout the nation.
With the rise and fall of some food trends, it looks like pizza is not only here to stay but getting better (and fresher) as time goes on.