Pizza Hut UK has won the award for best gluten-free pizza in the ‘Manufactured for food service – Savory’ category at the Freefrom Food Awards, the industry’s only award for excellence in gluten-free food.
Interest and concern about gluten-free dining is growing – see H & C News’ recent article (Gluten-Free Dining: a growing market) on the subject, which attracted hundreds of readers.
The 2013 awards ceremony for the Freefrom Awards took place on Tuesday 16 April and was presented by celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson, who commended the pizza’s thin and crispy base, flavourful topping and the use of a square pizza shape to differentiate it from non-gluten free pizzas.
First to introduce gluten-free pizzas
Pizza Hut became the first UK pizza chain to introduce gluten-free pizzas last October, and they’re available through both the Restaurant and Delivery businesses. The award demonstrates Pizza Hut’s continued investment in its Gluten Free range. The pizzas were developed in association with Coeliac UK, following extensive research into customer needs and ensuring that the product reached the No Gluten Containing Ingredients (NGCI) accreditation.
Not just pizzas
Chez Gawen, Head of Food at Pizza Hut, said,
“We are thrilled to be recognised with this prestigious award, as it really reflects our commitment to providing good-quality menu choices for a range of customer dietary requirements. As well as the using separate ingredients and utensils to make our gluten-free pizzas, we have a wide range of options in our unlimited salad offering that cater for gluten-free and dairy-free diets, so that our guests can always find something to their taste.”
To ensure maximum options and food safety for coeliacs, all toppings in Pizza Hut restaurants are now gluten-free. In addition, all team members undergo rigorous cross-contamination training and coeliac awareness training.