Papa John’s Pizza Moves to Antibiotic-Free Chicken

By next summer, the pizza chain will only use chicken that have been fed a 100% vegetarian diet.

December 18, 2015

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Papa John’s recently announced that by summer 2016 its grilled chicken pizza toppings and chicken poppers will consist of poultry that is raised without human and animal antibiotics, as well as fed a 100% vegetarian diet. The company has already made concrete strides toward this commitment by securing contracts with its suppliers, ensuring that they are on track to complete the process on schedule.

Promising to never serve chicken that was raised with antibiotics in their pizza toppings or poppers is just one of many proof points that supports Papa John’s commitment to quality. Papa John’s goal has always been to offer its customers the highest-quality ingredients, and it has recently taken the extra step by boosting its transparency and even educating its consumers on what certain ingredients are and why they are in consumers’ food.

“This antibiotics initiative embodies everything our brand stands for,” said John Schnatter, founder and CEO of Papa John’s. “I started this company [more than] 31 years ago on a foundation of quality and a commitment to my customers to deliver on a promise of ‘Better Ingredients. Better Pizza.’ By serving high-quality chicken products without added human or animal antibiotics, we’re just taking the next step on our journey to always get ‘Better.’”

Papa John's will be the first national pizza chain to pledge removal of antibiotics from some of its chicken. And next summer, “no antibiotics in our chicken toppings and poppers” will join Papa John’s already extensive list of “‘no’ ingredients,” including: no trans-fats, MSG, fillers in core meat toppings, BHA, BHT and partially hydrogenated oils.

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