ns g understanding-pizza-sauce to launch

7/30/2019 NS G Understanding-Pizza-Sauce to Launch

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Developed and published by

A guide from PizzaMarketplace.com

INSIDE: omatoes are an integral part o the pizza industry,and canned tomatoes oer a convenient and inexpensive wayor pizzerias to oer customers high quality at a low cost. Butwhen choosing a prepared tomato or pizza sauce, its importantto understand the origins o the sauce and the methods andingredients used to create it.

Understanding Pizza Sauce


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2 2010 NetWorld Alliance LLC

Contents

Page 3 About the sponsor

Page 4 Introduction | omatoes: Te oundation o pizza

Page 6 Chapter 1 | o organic or not to organicDening organic

Fresh organic tomatoes

Te business case or processed organics

Page 10 Chapter 2 | Te advantages and disadvantages o citric acid

Page 12 Chapter 3 | Steam-peeling vs. lye-based peeling

Lye-based peelingTe diferences between lye and steam peeling

Environmental considerations

Page 15 Chapter 4 | Te heating eectaste

Economics

Page 18 Conclusion | Te uture o pizza sauce

omato Sauce/Pizza Sauce


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About the sponsor

Published by NetWorld Alliance. 2010 NetWorld Alliance LLCPhotos courtesy oEscalon unless otherwise speciied.

Written byRichard Webster, contributing writer, PizzaMarketplace.comDick Good, CEOom Harper, president and publisherBob Fincher, executive vice presidentJoseph Grove, vice president and executive editor

PizzaMarketplace.com is a part of the foodservice media division ofNetWorld Alliance, a leading publisher in the restaurant industry.Together with QSRweb.com and FastCasual.com, NetWorld Alliance

provides the foodservices industry with thought-provoking news andupdates on the latest trends daily and free of charge.


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Introduction

By Richard WebsterContributing writer,

PizzaMarketplace.comIn the United States, there are ewoods as popular as pizza. here aremore than 76,000 pizza stores across

the country, 53 percent o which areindependently owned.

In 2007 pizza sales approached $37 billion,and pizza was the ourth most-orderedmenu item, behind only steak, hamburgersand barbecue.

From New Yorks amous thin, oldable

pie to Chicagos deep dish, Caliorniasgourmet creations with non-traditionaltoppings, the super-thin crust o St. Louis,Hawaiis ham-and-pineapple-toppeddelicacy and the authentic Neapolitan pie,pizza has proven to be a versatile ood.

Barring the rare exception, however, thekey ingredient tying them all together istomato sauce.

Pizza sauces can be as varied as pizzasthemselves, with the consumer detectingslight dierences based on added spices,consistency and sweetness. hosedierences can be due to the tomatogrowing and processing methods, whichcan have a proound impact on the lavorproile.

Even more important than the growingmethod, however, is the process thetomato undergoes to transorm it into

a variety o products, including paste,puree, ground, crushed, unpeeled andpeeled tomatoes and ready-to-use sauces all a crucial part o a pizzeria ownersrepertoire.

Many processors opt to add citric acid tobetter optimize eiciency and modulatethe PH level o the tomato. Other

processors orego the use ocitric acid in avor o a methodbased on time and temperature.he purveyors o this techniquebelieve that it creates a more natural andlavorul result, ree o the bitter atertasteoten associated with citric acid.

How a tomato is peeled may not directlyimpact the lavor but it aects the lookand texture. here are two types o peelingmethods steam and lye-based.

Steam peeling produces a rough-texturedtomato and is seen as a more ineicientmethod, but it yields the most lavor,highlighting the natural sweetness o thetomato. Unlike lye-based peeling, steampeeling does not have a signiicant impacton the environment. Additionally, steampeeling allows the tomato juices to be used

in other recipes.

As more consumers gravitate towardenvironmentally riendly practices, pizzeriaowners interested in tapping into this

growing market are choosing processorsthat steam peel their tomatoes.

Another type o processing is theevaporation o water rom the tomato tocreate a puree or paste. Depending on thetemperature level, whether high or lowheat, evaporation can signiicantly alter thecolor and lavor o the inal product.

Pizza sauces can be as varied as pizzas themselves,

with the consumer detecting slight dierencesbased on added spices, consistency and sweetness.Those dierences can be due to the tomato

growing and processing methods, which can havea proound impact on the avor prole.

omatoes: Te oundation o pizza


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When a consumer walks into a pizzeriaand orders a large sausage and pepperonipie, the last thing on his mind will be citricacid, steam or lye-based peeling, or howthe water was removed rom the tomatoused in the sauce. But or the discerningrestaurant owner, that can impact thebottom line, inspire a new marketingstrategy and enhance the lavor o thepizzas, helping to increase proit andenhance customer loyalty.

INRODUCION omatoes: Te oundation o pizza


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Increasingly, customers are concernedabout where their ood comes rom.Current ood trends include the rising

popularity o sustainable, organicallygrown ingredients.

Statistics indicate that organic productsare a trend on the rise, and clearly, thereis a growing market or pizzas that useorganic products, says Je Jarchow, brandmanager or Caliornia-based EscalonPremier Brands, one o the only tomato

processors to boast a line o productswith a 100-percent organic rating romthe USDA. A 100-percent organicrating means the products contain onlyorganically produced ingredients exceptor salt.

For pizzeria owners hoping to tap into themarket, its important to understand whatexactly organic produce means and i reshor processed organic tomatoes are a viablechoice or pizza sauce.

Defning organic

Organic ruit and vegetable productionrelies on ecologically based practices suchas biological pest control, crop rotationand green manure or composting. heuse o herbicides, pesticides, syntheticertilizers, plant growth regulators,livestock eed additives and geneticallymodiied organisms are strictly limited

or prohibited. he land the crops areproduced on cannot have had prohibitedsubstances applied to it or at least threeyears prior to harvest.

Fresh organic tomatoes

Customers are drawn to organic tomatoes especially compared to other produce.

Chapter 1 o organic or not to organic

According to the U.S. Department o Agriculture,

sales o organic products increased rom $3.6 billonin 1997 to $21.1 billion in 2008

the number o organic products introducedincreased rom 290 in 1997 to 1,107 in 2007

in 1991, conventional retailers sold only 7 percent oorganics compared to 46 percent o them in 2006

historically, resh produce has been the mostpopular organic category with growth in retail salesaveraging 15 percent o yearly growth between 1997and 2007

in 2005, the top organic vegetables in cropland werelettuce (12 percent o all vegetables), ollowed bytomatoes (7 percent).

Organic products increasing in popularity

In 2008, tomatoes topped the list o theso-called dirty dozen, the 12 ood itemswith the highest amount o risk due topesticides, according to Datassential, aChicago-based ood industry analyst irm.

Look at the retail segment o organics,Jarchow said. Its blossoming. Look at theWhole Foods o the world; even thoughthe economy is slow, theyre holding theirown. People are interested in organics and

being educated on (them) and the media iscarrying a lot o inormation on it. heresdeinitely a segment o blossoming organicusers out there. In our opinion, its thebest-tasting tomato.

Additionally, studies show organictomatoes are the superior overallproduct, providing a more robust


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CHAPER 1 o organic or not to organic

experience ore the diner, says StevePadley, senior corporate che or researchand development at Birds Eye Foods, aRochester, N.Y.-based purveyor o rozenood items.

Its been shown that the lavor romorganics is preerred, Padley said. Youhave more concentrated lavor in thelesh and the juice and the texture is arsuperior.

However, resh organic tomatoes can posechallenges to the pizzeria owner.

Birds Eye, which ocuses more on reshcompared to processed tomatoes, doesnot use organic tomatoes because ocost and availability issues. While thenumber o organic arms in the UnitedStates increased rom 5,021 in 2000to 8,493 in 2005, they cannot produceenough product to keep up with demand,resulting in requent shortages, according

to the USDA. his makes selling organicsunreasonable or the massive chains.

Organics can also be more ragile andsuer damage during shipment.

Organics arent pumped up with all(those preservatives), Padley said. Part omodern arming is being able to make theproduct ripen aster while its less mature.Organics ripen at their own pace so you

have to use them aster. I you buy anorganic and a modern tomato in a store on

the same day and let them sit, the organicwill be soter when you irst get it and willget soter aster because it is more mature.

For this reason it makes more sense orrestaurants to use resh organic ingredientsi they are located close to an organic armand processor, said Matthew Mandeltort,a senior consultant with echnomic, aChicago-based ood industry research andconsulting irm.

I youre shipping tomatoes rom Peru youcant aord to take these nice, wonderul

sweet-ripened tomatoes, put 40 poundsin a box and reasonably expect them to

(Organic sauce) allows (owners) to charge an additional 50 cents or $1 perpizza when in reality the incremental cost is 20 percent o that. So they can

realize additional prot and use a good marketing tool.

Jef Jarchow, brand manager, Escalon Premier Brands

Organic tomatoes are increasing in popularity a trend thatpizzeria operators can take advantage o to increase prot andboost customer sales.

Photoc

ourtesyofiStock


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arrive intact in Caliornia to be shippedto Arizona and then put in a truck to acommercial ood service acility, he said.But on its ace, organic tomatoes are veryappealing and a great story. You can tracethem back to where the tomato came rom.It represents a shit away rom the idea thattomatoes are designed to grow quickly,uniormly and shipped easily.

Te business case or processedorganics

While using resh organic tomatoes is notalways a viable option or pizzeria owners,products exist that use processed organictomatoes. Such products oer a resh tasteand appeal to the customer concerned

about pesticides, without straining thepizzeria owners bottom line.

Industry giants have introduced all-organicproduct lines, as has Escalon, which oersorganic ground tomatoes in extra heavypuree, diced tomatoes in juice and extraheavy 1.07 tomato puree.

Were seeing some o our customers buyorganic sauce and advertise that they serveorganic pizza sauce, Jarchow said. hisallows them to charge an additional 50cents or $1 per pizza when in reality theincremental cost is 20 percent o that. Sothey can realize additional proit and use a

The price o tomatoes is increasing, cutting into a pizzeria operators prots. Creating demand with resh tasting

tomatoes can help keep sales up.



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good marketing tool.

he popularity in organics has given riseto all-organic pizza chains such as PizzaFusion in Florida.

he popularity o the organic oodindustry, coupled with Pizza Fusionsaggressive environmental approach, makesor an amazing restaurant concept thathas entered the market at just the righttime, said Jerey Yagoda, a Pizza Fusion

ranchisee.

here are downsides to organic tomatoes,however, and not everyone is convinced itis a trend with unlimited growth.

he biggest downside is the price.

Organic tomatoes typically yield less peracre than conventionally grown tomatoes,and are more labor intensive to grow.Lower yield and higher costs mean thatorganic tomatoes are more expensivein the marketplace in Caliornia,conventionally grown tomatoes sell or$80 per ton compared to $120 per tonor organic tomatoes. hat cost is passeddown to the customers.

Processed tomato products are ar lessexpensive than resh organic tomatoes,helping pizzeria owners meet the demandor organic tomato sauce aordably.

here tends to be a premium (price) orthe organic stu, Mandeltort said. Butin the current economic environment, itstough to pay 10- to 30-percent more orsomething that arguably is nutritionallyequivalent to what youre otherwise eating.Unless youre positioned to take advantage

o the premium organic demand, thatsa bit expensive to make a personalstatement.

However, processed tomato products thatuse organic tomatoes ease the price issue.In addition, the products are availableall year, rather than only in the summermonths. Pizzeria owners can use, orexample, a prepared tomato sauce madewith organic tomatoes that imparts thesame resh lavor and addresses customer

concerns about pesticides. he sauce,unlike resh organic tomatoes, can beeasily obtained in winter months and theche does not have to worry about thepotential damage to tomatoes caused byshipping.



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Chapter 2 Te advantages and disadvantages o citric acid

For pizzeria owners, a long lastingtomato is crucial or a healthybottom line. Citric acid is typically

added to modulate the acidity or pH levelo tomatoes.

Not everyone agrees that citric acid isnecessary, especially or processed tomatosauces. Escalon, or example, does notuse any citric acid in any o its brandedproducts.

When you add citric acid it leaves a bitteratertaste in the mouth and can causeheartburn, Escalons Je Jarchow said. Wewant ours to be the cleanest, all-natural,sweetest product coming out o the can.And by not adding citric acid it allowspizzerias to serve their product to a widerrange o customers, including seniors. withheartburn reactions.

Instead o adding citric acid, Escalonaccomodates the natural pH levels through

a timed heating process. Its a longer andmore expensive process but worth it,Jarchow says.

he analogy would be to a boutique nichewinery where we really take the time andeort to balance the physical and chemicalprocess rom a pH perspective, he said.And our customers note that the lavor oour product is superior.

Escalon also regulates its pH levels throughcrop management, says John Palombi, theWest Coast quality manager or HeinzNorth America, Escalons parent company.

Citric acid has a very distinct andunpleasant lavor, and you can readilyidentiy products with added citric acid.he companies that add citric acid do so

Citric acid oten is used to modulate the acidity o

tomatoes, but requently, ingredients will need to beadded to a sauce to disguise the taste.

Photoc

ourtesyofiStock

as a ailsae since they do not pay as muchattention to the crop as Escalon, Palombisaid. Most processors buy tomatoes andtake them as they come. Escalon worksclosely with a select set o growers whoprovide tomatoes to our speciications.

I a consumer inds a product such as

tomato sauce too acidic they can alwaysadd sugar as a counterbalance, says SteveStewart, a tomato industry consultantand host o the Web site omato101.com.But i citric acid is not added there willbe no need to embellish the sauce withsugars and additional spices, Jarchow said,and that ultimately can save an operatormoney, since less is spent on otheringredients.

Customers can use ewer spices with our

I citric acid is not added there will be no need toembellish the sauce with sugars and additional

spices, ultimately saving an operator money,since less is spent on other ingredients.


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CHAPER 2 Te advantages and disadvantages o citric acid

(tomatoes) than with a citric product.Sugars and spices are used to mask thecitric ater-taste but you dont need to dothat with a clean, naturally sweet product,Jarchow said. But more importantly, no-added-citric products give the consumerthe reshest tasting product available. Ourcustomers are those so ocused on qualitythey want the best product out there andthey will convert to our line based on that.he peeled dice, strips or pear tomatoesare used in classical Italian restaurants

to make sauce, and or them taste iseverything.


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Chapter 3 Steam-peeling vs. lye-based peeling

Lye is a corrosive alkaline substancecommonly used in soap making,biodiesel production and in

household products such as drain openersand oven cleaners. I used improperly itcan cause signiicant damage to a person,including chemical burns and esophagealstricture.

But it is also the most widely used methodto peel tomatoes because it is consideredto be the most eicient technique. A

tomato processor can successully peelbetween 70 to 80 percent o all tomatoesusing lye, compared to the 20-percent rateo the alternative method o steam-peeling.

One o the interesting things thats goingon right now is that there is somewhat o aresurgence in lye peeling, said Scott Butler,vice president o technology at the WalnutCreek, Cali. research center o Del MonteFoods, a manuacturer and marketero processed oods. People who had

previously removed lye-peel equipment aregoing back to it. here is probably morelye peeling going on today than there wasthree or our years ago and thats due toeiciency.

For Escalon and many others, thatswhere the advantages o lye-based peelingend. And they are ar outweighed by thedisadvantages, Steve Padley, o Birds EyeFoods, says.

As a che, I would always preer steam.Whenever you introduce a caustic materialit can cause signiicant problems. I woulduse the more natural process wheneverpossible, he said.

There is probably more lye peeling goingon today than there was three or our

years ago and thats due to efciency.

Scott Butler, vice president o technology, Del Monte Foods

Te dierences between lye andsteam peeling

he dierence between the two methods isbest explained by describing the processes,

says Brian Darr, managing director oDatassential.

Steam peelers combine steam and avacuum to eectively explode tomatopeels away rom the ruit, leaving the peelshanging as lags on the stem scar at thetop o the tomato.

To make sauces, purees and other tomato products, the skin mustbe removed. While lye peeling may be more ecient, leading tolower cost, steam peeling has less impact on the environment.


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CHAPER 3 Steam-peeling vs. lye-based peeling

Pressure peelers bring tomatoes in througha pressure valve into a high-pressurechamber that uses either steam or acombination o steam and water to scaldthe tomatoes. he steam permeates justbelow the peel, then a vacuum is drawn onthe system that causes the trapped steamto explode away the peel. he tomatoesthen are passed through a relie valve toreturn to atmospheric pressure.

Vacuum peelers scald the tomatoes in

water at atmospheric pressure, then passthe tomatoes through a single valve thatseals the produce rom the atmosphere,breaks or lashes the peels under vacuumand then returns to atmospheric pressure.

Ater the lashed tomatoes leave the steamunits, rotary scrubbers and pinch rollersloosen and pull o peel lags and scrub omuch o the remaining tags on the tomato.

he physical removal o the tomato peels

in either type o steam system can resultin yield losses, including peel and attachedruit, o up to 30 percent. But most o thatmaterial can be collected and used in theprocess. In addition, the natural tomatojuice just under the skin, the most lavorulpart o the tomato, can be utilized too,Escalons Jarchow says.

Lye peeling uses a bath o 13- to 15-percentsodium hydroxide heated to roughly 212

degrees Farenheit. he caustic soda eats itsway just beneath the peel and loosens theskin rom the ruit. Downstream scrubbingequipment easily pulls the peels rom theruit, leaving tomatoes with a smooth andshiny surace.

he peels themselves, or the most part,are thrown away, because the peel-and-

caustic waste stream hovers in the 12range on the 0 to 14 pH scale, making thepeels highly alkalyne. New technologies

are being commercialized to neutralize,wash and re-acidiy the peels so they canbe recovered or byproduct use. Usually,however, the lye byproducts must beneutralized into a salt and then disposed,causing a signiicant environmentalheadache.

Environmental considerations

Its the byproducts o the two processes

that make all the dierence, Jarchow says.By utilizing steam-peeling, Escalon isable to reuse any part o the tomato thatis removed during the peeling process,including the extra virgin tomato juicethat is trapped directly underneath theskin. hat juice can be added to anotherproduct or evaporated into a puree.

Almost all o our byproducts, such asseeds and skin, are usable or livestockeed and other natural needs, Jarchow

said. We are committed to beingenvironmentally riendly and that isappealing to a growing segment o themarket that is demanding companies usemore environmentally riendly processes.

Using lye, especially in Caliornia, can

Being environmentally riendly is appealingto a growing segment o the market

that is demanding companies use moreenvironmentally riendly processes.

Jef Jarchow, brand manager, Escalon Premier Brands


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cause huge headaches or the processor,said tomato industry consultant SteveStewart.

Lye is a chemical and you have to store itand pay people to understand what theyredoing with it. Ater the peel you now havepeel residue contaminated with lye thathas to be disposed o. And in Caliornia allwaste needs to be treated, Stewart said.One o the most common headaches inCaliornia is worrying about employee

saety. You throw in lye and theres onemore thing to worry about. I a plant hadits druthers they wouldnt use lye; but iproducts depend on lye-peeled tomatoes,(plant managers) deal with it and traintheir employees and have saeguards inplace.

CHAPER 3 Steam-peeling vs. lye-based peeling


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Chapter 4 Te heating efect

omatoes are 94 percent water.In order to make products thatdemand a certain thickness, such

as purees or pastes, a percentage o thatwater needs to be removed. o do that,processors utilize evaporation.

he level o heat used to remove water cansigniicantly aect the taste and look o thetomatoes.

Any time you add heat you make changes,

Stewart said. here will be a visualchange, a change to the sotness and colorthrough oxidation and a lavor change. Itwill taste like a cooked tomato product.

It breaks down like this, Stewart says:

Te higher the heat and longer theevaporation time, the more the favorwill be aected.

Te lower the temperature and shorter

the time, the less the favor will beaected.

he heat applied during evaporation alsoimpacts the viscosity o the tomato. Highheat, or a hot break, creates a thickersubstance used or pastes and purees.

Low heat, or a cold break, is used or juicesor soups. But a cold break isnt actuallycold. he tomato is subjected to heattypically around 160 degrees Fahrenheit

while the hot break subjects the tomato to200 degrees Fahrenheit.

When tomatoes are picked, they containactive pectins that over time cause thetomato to break down and turn into mush.During the evaporation process, the levelo heat applied aects the pectins

high heat inactivates them, slowing thecorrosion process and resulting in a thickersubstance. Low heat keeps many o thepectins active, resulting in a more wateryproduct.

he enemy o a good tomato is heatand time, so we process our tomatoes atlow temperatures using a modiied pre-cook, Jarchow said. his means that thepuree or paste products we make throughevaporation will have a better color, lavor

and consistency.

In addition to using a low-heat method,Escalon also has a more streamlinedevaporation process compared to itscompetitors. Sticking to its time andheat are the enemy o a good tomatophilosophy, Escalon puts its tomatoesthrough a low-temperature evaporationprocess.

Evaporating water rom tomatoes, such as at the Escalon plant, seen above,is a crucial part o making a variety o tomato products. The amount o heatused, however, can have a signicant efect on taste.


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CHAPER 4 Te heating efect

Low heat, however, can prove detrimentali it is not employed at a reasonableduration o time, Stewart said.

However, temperatures that are too highcan reduce lavor.

A higher temperature process produces aproduct that is darker, with less lavor andless red color, Jarchow said.

Some experts contend that using lowheat to cook resh tomatoes can presentpotential health hazards, but not so withprocessed tomatoes, says John Palombi,o Heinz North America. It is necessaryto heat the product to reduce bacteria toa commercially sterile state, but in thecase o high acid products like tomatoes,no pathogenic organisms can grow, sothe heat treatment is strictly or spoilageprevention.

Our heat treatment kills any spoilageorganisms and is also set to create theright lavor proiles that our customersdesire, Palombi said. You can eat a rawBrussels sprout that has been washed,but most people preer them cooked to

some degree to achieve the proper lavorand consistency. On the lip side, you cancook them too much. hats what ourprocess is all about just the right blendo tomatoes and the perect cook time tocreate a superior product.

Economics

he evaporation process also plays animportant economic role in shipping.

Pizzeria owners shouldnt have to pay

money to have a crate o tomato productwith a high percentage o water shipped tothem when they can order a puree productwith much o the water removed, makingthe shipped product denser and moreeconomically sensible, Jarchow says.

You can take a can o our Bonta PizzaSauce highly evaporated at 22-percentsolids then a can o our 6IN1 All-Purpose Ground omatoes and mixtogether those two with a can o local

water, Jarchow said. You get a better yieldand lower cost without having to shipthe product with water. Our customersare realizing in the whole value equation

It is necessary to heat the product to reduce bacteria to a commercially sterilestate, but in the case o high-acid products like tomatoes, no pathogenic

organisms can grow, so the heat treatment is strictly or spoilage prevention.

Tomatoes with less water can be less expensive overall to ship,helping to keep costs down or operators.


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theres no need to ship water withtomatoes.

And what happens to all o that evaporatedwater?

Escalon re-circulates it throughout theactory, using it or cleaning, cooling theoutside o product cans and as a vehicle tomove tomatoes, placing them in a smallriver so they dont get bruised. Escalongets 25 percent o the actorys water needs

directly rom the tomatoes through theevaporation process.

his alls in line with our overallphilosophy that nearly 100 percent oour tomato byproduct is usable, Jarchow

said. Our seed and skins are used by awaste company that sells it to armersas cattle eed and compost. AmongFortune 500 companies Heinz (parentcompany o Escalon) is in the top ive orsustainability in strategies, actions andaccomplishments.

CHAPER 4 Te heating efect


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Conclusion Te uture o pizza sauce

Pizzeria operators are discovering that theycan highlight their use o chemical-ree tomato

products as a marketing tool to reach and attractconsumers interested in a more healthy orm o

eating without giving up any o the taste they love.

he classically deined boundarieso the pizza industry that have longdeined it are breaking down. New

York pizzerias have been brought to theWest Coast. Fusion pizzas rom Caliorniaare spreading. he rules are wide opennow in what was once a classicallysegmented market, Escalons Jarchow says.

hings are constantly evolving andshiting in the pizza industry, he said.And rom a uture standpoint everyone

wants their own unique sauce. Pizza sauceaccounts or nine percent o the cost o apizza but it accounts or 42 percent o thelavor. So why shit down to a lower gradeo tomato sauce when its a low cost but akey part o the quality?

he massive reach o the pizza industry isillustrated in the consumption o tomatosauce by pizzerias.

More than 35 percent o pizza restaurants

use up to 25 gallons o sauce per week,according to a survey o 475 operators,ranchisees, managers and industryexperts published in the 2009 State othe Industry Report published by PizzaMarketplace. More than 27 percent usebetween 26 and 50 gallons, 15.8 percentuse more than 100, 14.1 percent use 51to 75 and 7.9 percent use between 76 and100.

For larger chains, however, the ability to becreative may be constrained by the massivevolume o their business. hey depend ona tremendous supply o product to meettheir immense demand.

We looked at how signiicant andimportant organic is to the big guys andit got a chuckle. It cant be produced on

the amazing scale their products areconsumed, echnomics Mandeltort said.he numbers are staggering. On college

campuses there are 127 million orders oFrench ries.

he smaller operators, however, havethe reedom to experiment and seek outsegments o the market that may have longbeen ignored.

Independent operators have been theleaders o the pizza business or more than40 years, wrote PizzaMarkeplace.comspublisher Paul Barron in the oreword to

the 2009 State o the Industry Report. Inthat time they have been at the oreront oalmost every creative development in pizzaand Italian ood. hat drive will be the onething that delivers the pizza industry to thenext level in the restaurant business.

With the growing popularity o cooking-oriented shows such as Bravos op Cheand the Food Channel itsel, more peopleare interested in ood preparation anddiversiying their style while incorporatinginternational lavors and preparations,Jarchow says.

And as more people are exposed todierent culinary techniques, they arebecoming more interested in purchasingpizzas that meet or exceed their own levelo culinary skill.


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CONCLUSION Te uture o pizza sauce

he best way to create a special pizzasauce is to start with a base, whetheran evaporated puree, peeled chunky orchopped tomato, or by blending them alltogether, Jarchow says.

Whether youre looking to make pizzasauce or marinara you can start rom anumber o dierent directions but themain thing to keep in mind is that thereare no rules, he said.

he elimination o those rules has inspiredmany pizzerias to explore the growingniche market o natural and organicproducts.

Rather than simply looking or dietor low-at menu options, todays healthconscious consumer is looking orpizza topping options that supportgood nutritional principles, such aswhole grain crusts, a variety o reshvegetables and ruits, low-at meats and

poultry as well as natural, organic orlocally sourced toppings, said Liz Hertz,marketing director o the Burke Corp.,a manuacturer o ully cooked meatproducts based in Nevada, Iowa.

Many tomato processors like Escalon havebeen at the oreront o the natural andorganic movement, emphasizing their

environmentally riendly practices whileeschewing the use o additives such ascitric acid and lye.

And pizzeria operators are discoveringthat they can highlight their use othese chemical-ree tomato productsas a marketing tool to reach and attractconsumers interested in a more healthyorm o eating without giving up any o thetaste.

his is truly the uture o the industry,Jarchow said.

Restaurateurs can be irst-, second- orthird-generation Italian amilies usingGrandmas recipe, making everything romscratch. Or they may want somethingready to pour out o the can, Jarchowsaid. Whats important is that operatorsknow that there are options available.Processed tomato products allow pizzeriaowners to keep a classic taste with a clean,

more natural product. As customersbecome more concerned about their oodsource, oering pizza with all-naturaltomato sauce is a market segment readyto experience signiicant growth, and itdoesnt have to be expensive.

ns g understanding-pizza-sauce to launch

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