They may look and taste the same, but Domino’s pizza slices in the US and UK are not the same.
DailyMail.com found striking differences in ingredient list, caloric content, salt and fat between the chain’s classic pepperoni pies on both sides of the Atlantic.
A large slice in the US contains more than twice as many additives as the British version, and the ingredient list on an American pizza looks more like it came from a science lab than a restaurant.
A US slice also packs one and a half times the calories, which adds up to more than a full day’s worth if you eat the whole pie. It is also half an inch larger in width.
It may look and taste the same, but a slice of Domino’s pizza in the US and the UK is not the same. DailyMail.com found striking differences in the list of ingredients, caloric content, salt and fat in pizza on both sides of the Atlantic.
However, a UK slice has two and a half times the salt.
While the UK sliced cheese has only a handful of ingredients, it has more than twice as many as in the US.
The UK version has only mozzarella cheese, milk, salt and starter culture, while the US version has the following: Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese (pasteurized milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), modified food starch, cellulose (added to prevent caking), skim milk, whey protein concentrate, flavors, sodium propionate (added as a preservative).
Domino’s crust in the US also uses soybean oil, which has been linked to conditions like obesity and diabetes.
TO study 2020 from the University of California-Riverside, for example, found that the oil could slow metabolism, making it difficult to lose weight.
Domino’s stores around the world cater to the different tastes and preferences of local customer bases. Therefore, Domino’s in different countries use different ingredients, sauces and dressings. While all are of high quality, they differ in nutritional content,” the company said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
While their pizza is loaded with additives, American Domino’s has taken steps to improve it. According to the company Corporate Management Report 2019Domino’s removed BHA and BHT from their pepperoni.
These are often found in processed foods like cereals, chewing gum, fast food, and snack foods to extend freshness and help prevent spoilage caused by bacteria, mold, or other problems.
It is also a possible human carcinogen, meaning it may increase the risk of cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
While a large pizza in the UK is 13.5 inches wide, in the US it is half an inch larger. It may not sound like much, but that extra half inch could make a difference in terms of calories.
A slice of Domino’s pizza in the UK contains 176 calories per slice. If the pizza is cut into 10 slices, it has 1,760 total calories.
Meanwhile, a slice in the US is about 300 calories, so if you cut it into 10 slices that adds up to 3000 calories for the entire pizza. That’s more than one and a half times more calories than the UK cake.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americansadult women consume between 1,600 and 2,400 calories per day depending on age, and men should consume between 2,000 and 3,000 calories per day depending on age.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has said that a 2,000-calorie diet should be standard for most Americans.
In the UK, women should consume around 2,000 calories a day, while men get 2,500, according to the National Health Service.
A slice in both countries is packed with sodium. In the United States, a slice of pepperoni pizza has 720 milligrams, nearly one-third of the AHA recommended daily limit of 2,300.
It’s unclear how much salt is in a regular slice of pepperoni pizza, but according to the chain’s UK website, its Pepperoni Passion pizza has 1,740 milligrams, two-and-a-half times the US version.
It is also three quarters of the American daily limit. The UK limit, according to the British Heart Foundationis 6000 milligrams per day.
Since this specialty pizza has more pepperoni, it’s safe to assume that the standard version has less salt.
Nearly 500,000 American deaths each year are attributed to high blood pressure, which has long been linked to excessive salt intake.
Too much sodium can lead to a host of other diseases, including heart disease and stroke.
In the UK, a slice of pizza has 15 grams of fat, seven of which is saturated. By comparison, an American slice has 12 grams, five of which are saturated.
He AHA recommends that no more than 5-6 percent of calories come from saturated fat. If you’re eating 2,000 calories per day, that’s about 13 grams of saturated fat.
High in saturated fat can increase LDL (bad) cholesterol, a major risk factor for heart disease. It can also lead to conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, lupus and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), according to the cleveland clinic.
Here is a comparison of the ingredients for a large pepperoni pizza and the popular garlic dipping sauces in both countries:
large pepperoni pizza
USA Ingredients
Cortex
Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: sugar, salt, whey, maltodextrin, dextrose, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, enzyme with wheat starch, ascorbic acid, l-cysteine monohydrochloride), yeast
Pepperoni
Pork and beef, salt, spices, dextrose, lactic acid starter culture, natural flavors, paprika oleoresin, sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrite, citric acid
Cheese
Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese (pasteurized milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), Modified Food Starch, Cellulose (added to prevent caking), Skim Milk, Whey Protein Concentrate, Flavors, Sodium Propionate (added as a preservative)
Dip
Tomatoes, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), onion, sugar, Romano and Parmesan cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), carrot puree, salt, celery puree, garlic, spices, butter, olive oil, citric acid, sunflower oil, natural flavor and xanthan gum
UK ingredients
Cortex
Wheat flour, premix (milk, wheat), rapeseed oil, cornmeal, water, yeast
Pepperoni
Pork, pork fat, salt, pork rinds, dextrose, spices, color: paprika extract, antioxidant: sodium ascorbate, garlic powder, spice extract, herbs, starter culture, preservative: sodium nitrite, acidity regulator : citric acid
Cheese
Mozzarella cheese (milk), salt, starter culture
Dip
Tomato paste, water, salt, sugar, salt, garlic, oregano, black pepper, basil, chilli, mint, acidity regulator: E330/citric acid
Garlic Sauce: USA
Ingredients
Soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, natural flavor, soy lecithin, artificial flavor, beta-carotene (color)
Garlic and Herb Dip: UK
Ingredients
Rapeseed oil, water, spirit vinegar, pasteurized egg yolk, sugar, garlic, parsley, salt, acidity regulator: lactic acid, milk protein, mustard flour, concentrated lemon juice, preservative: potassium sorbate, stabilizers , xanthan gum, guar gum
