School is back in session, and dairy farmers are helping provide a more nutritious pizza option to student through the national dairy checkoff’s work with the Domino’s® Smart Slice school pizza program.
Domino’s Smart Slice – which satisfies increasingly stringent school nutrition guidelines – will be delivered to more than 1,300 schools representing more than 220 districts this year. The chain aims to continue growing pizza sales at a solid pace throughout the year.
The launch and aggressive growth of Domino’s Smart Slice has made an impact within the school pizza marketplace, as frozen pizza reformulations and new product launches are creating healthier pizzas that are moving more cheese.
Most U.S. schools serve frozen pizza and most students prefer pizza to foods such as chicken nuggets and hamburgers, according to NPD Group research. However, of those students surveyed who select pizza, only 25 percent say they “like it a lot” and that “it tastes great.”
In contrast, Domino’s Smart Slice delivers a nutritious, kid-approved solution that helps increase school meal participation – a win-win for students and school nutrition directors.
“Domino’s Smart Slice is a great example of quick-service restaurants partnering with the dairy industry,” said Paul Rovey, Arizona dairy producer and chair of Dairy Management Inc.™, which manages the national dairy checkoff. “This partnership is creating a ripple effect throughout the pizza industry, because Domino’s Smart Slice is innovative and maintains cheese as the key pizza ingredient.”
The dairy checkoff began partnering with Domino’s in 2009 to help grow cheese sales. The collaboration included the creation of a specialty pizza line that used more cheese, an aggressive schedule of in-store promotions, and the use of DMI expertise and resources to help the chain develop its school lunch strategy. Domino’s tapped into the checkoff’s insights and culinary expertise to develop pizza and programs to improve the school lunch experience and keep pizza – and cheese – on school menus.
Domino’s Smart Slice appeals to school nutrition professionals because it features items such as whole-grain crust, reduced-sodium “100 percent real” light mozzarella, reduced-fat/reduced-sodium pepperoni, and sauce with 35 percent less sodium than the chain’s traditional sauce. And, in research tests, its taste appeals to kids as well.
Dairy checkoff chefs collaborated with Domino’s to develop the Smart Slice line, including the Bellroni Pie that uses light mozzarella and provolone and The Cheezzzilla Pizza that blends five cheeses while staying in line with nutrition guidelines.
Source: Dairy Management Inc.