Papa John’s has rolled out a gluten-free crust to its more than 3,300 domestic locations after testing it earlier this year.
The crust is made in a separate facility from other crusts, but the Louisville, Ky.-based chain still advised against people with Celiac disease or severe gluten intolerance eating the pizza due to risks of cross contamination.
The crust is made with sorghum, teff, amaranth and quinoa. A two-topping pizza with the crust is available for $9.99. It was tested earlier this year in Los Angeles, Phoenix, St. Louis, Houston and Nashville.
In a press release announcing the rollout, Papa John’s chief ingredient officer Sean Muldoon said it took the chain more than two years to develop.
“The fact that our pilot customers [in the test markets] told us they loved the taste proves that we made the right decisions,” he said.
Domino’s introduced a gluten-free crust in 2012, and also warns about cross-contamination risks.
In 2015, Pizza Hut introduced a gluten-free pizza to about a third of its domestic restaurants. The crust’s ingredients and preparation is certified by the Gluten Intolerance Group.
Papa John’s new crust is the latest in a series of ingredient changes at the chain, which has gotten rid of artificial flavors and colors, high fructose corn syrup, MSG and the preservatives BHA and BHT. It also uses only cage-free eggs and chicken raised without antibiotics.
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