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4 steps the pizza industry can take to take the target off its back

The pizza industry is taking heat regarding calorie counts. Here are four actions that can help calm the crisis.

October 19, 2015

By Paula Hahn, Principal, Blink: Visionary Crisis Management 

The pizza industry is used to dealing with nutrition issues like sodium and fat. But the heat was really turned up when data was released from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of pizza's impact on children's diets. 

The industry has been living with the study's recommended bottom line ever since: "Pizza should become a target for counseling for the prevention and treatment of obesity in pediatric practice." 

That sentence served as the storyline for a media frenzy connecting pizza with obesity and prompted a myriad of responses to the attack. The American Pizza Community (APC) issued a response statement. Matt McClellan is talking up his pizza diet. There's expansion in healthy pizza chains like Naked Pizza and Skinny Pizza. Chains are moving toward healthier ingredients and low-calorie options. Domino's and Papa Murphy's, for example, are both cited in calorie comparisons as offering some of the lowest-calorie slices. In July, Pizza Hut planned to remove artificial flavors and colors.

All well and good, but how does pizza get the target off its back? Here are four actions that can help calm the crisis:

Remember: Perspective is everything in a crisis

A clear head is essential in a crisis. Find some soothing facts here:

The obesity epidemic is the real problem. And pizza is not to blame. 

America loves pizza — 3 billion pizzas are sold every year, according to the National Association of Pizza Operators. That's not likely to shift soon.

Determine — and deal with — the real issue

The first step in any crisis situation is: gather all the facts. Identifying the problem is the only way to fix the problem.

The National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey has presented its facts, vilifying pizza as the problem. But the truth is, the real healthcare enemy is an individual's poor choices about ingredients, portions and caloric intake. Not pizza.

Now that the real problem is identified — the "bad guy" moniker can be taken off pizza and the focus can be centered on what the pizza industry is willing to do about the poor choice dilemma.

Shift pizza's strategy from reactive to proactive

Knowing the real issue allows the pizza industry to stop reacting to (and to a degree, being bullied by) the study data and proactively address healthy eating issues. 

That's something the FDA, healthcare community, restaurants and others are struggling to solve. And consumers are struggling to accept the solutions. Think of soft drinks. Most consumers have an aversion to banning soda beverages. 

As Tim Ryan, Culinary Institute of America (CIA) president has said: "In America, we are much better at capitalism than prohibition.” Ryan explained that lasting change would occur when businesses found an economically sound way to offer healthier options.

What's really required here is innovation.

Consider starting an education campaign to address eating habits. Call in the experts. Use physicians, dietitians, nutritionists and others to explain how pizza fits into a healthy eating plan. In fact, this is an opportunity for the pizza industry to take a leadership role addressing choice, portion control and caloric intake. All the while promoting pizza.

Pizza is beloved. Leverage that.

The pizza industry is worried about its product's image and rightly so. But the simple, powerful, incontrovertible fact is, Americans love pizza. Consumers — and healthcare folk — like it because it offers:

• Variety and choice — 34 million ways to order it means millions of healthy options
• Convenience for time-strapped consumers
• A vehicle for getting healthy veggies into reluctant diners’ diets
• Family-bonding time while sharing or preparing slices and stories
• Memory-making moments with friends, teams and more

Which means there's an opportunity to complete the pizza picture by identifying a psychologist to explain the added importance and benefits of eating together. 

The survey results may just have provided the pizza industry with a large leadership opportunity. With clear heads, an innovative, proactive campaign and pizza clout, the industry can play a singular role in addressing the real problem.

In her 25-year PR career, Paula Hahn has helped brands like Dannon, Miller Brewing, Aveda and Six Flags address business-critical issues and crises from packaging and nutritional concerns to public safety, social media rumors, consumer boycotts and more.