Pizza summit to explore healthy marketing

April 1, 2010, U.S. – The impact of using healthy menu items as a marketing tool will be one of the key discussions at the 2010 Pizza Executive summit.

“Healthy” is a recurring topic and consideration in the restaurant industry, especially with recent menu labeling legislation and people’s resulting heightened awareness. But there are many faces of what constitutes “nutritional” food, from calorie counts to sourcing to organic. Put this complicated rubric over the cheese-laden pizza industry, and you have a recipe for confusion.
 
This dilemma is the focus this year’s summit session, “A holistic approach to healthy menu items.”  Industry leaders will present to executive-level attendees on how to figure out the nutritional aspects of their menus and things that can be improved.
 
“Operators can sometimes view healthful dictates like some found in the recent Health Care bill challenging,” said PizzaMarketplace.com editor Jennifer Litz, panel moderator for the session. “But menu labeling and other health-minded disclosures can be great tools for differentiation and customer appreciation, when done correctly."
 
Other presenters include industry leaders who are driving healthy options and awareness in the pizza sector, including Jeff Leach, co-founder of nationally expanding Naked Pizza. The New Orleans-based pizzeria has gone beyond the single-minded promise of organic to embrace the emerging food-you-can-use trend by promising pre and probiotic crusts, multi-grain pizza, and all-natural, lower-calorie toppings.
 
Leach has experience promoting his company’s holistic approach to healthy options. "We view ourselves as a social media marketing company that happens to sell pizza," he said.
 
The Pizza Executive Summit, the industry’s premier event for C-level executive learning and collaboration, will be held June 13 to 15 in Chicago, Illinois.