They might look and taste the same, but slices of Domino’s pizza in the US and UK are not created equal.
DailyMail.com found startling differences in the ingredients list, calorie 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 the additives as the British version, with the ingredients list in the American pizza looking more like it came from a science lab than a restaurant.
A US slice also contains one and a half times the calories, which adds up to more than an entire day’s worth if you eat the entire pie. It’s also a half-inch larger across.
It might look and taste the same, but a slice of Domino’s pizza in the US and UK are not created equal. DailyMail.com found startling differences in the ingredients list, calorie content, salt, and fat in the pizza on both sides of the Atlantic
However, a UK slice has two and a half times the salt.
While the cheese on a UK slice has just a handful of ingredients, it has more than twice that in the US.
The UK version has just mozzarella cheese, milk, salt, and starter culture, whereas the US variety has the following: Part skim mozzarella cheese (pasteurized milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), modified food starch, cellulose (added to prevent caking), nonfat 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.
A 2020 study from the University of California- Riverside, for example, found that the oil could lower metabolism, hampering weight loss.
‘Domino’s stores around the world cater to the varying tastes and preferences of local customer-bases. Because of that, Domino’s in different countries use varying ingredients, sauces and toppings. While they are all high quality, they differ in nutritional content,’ the company said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
While its pizza is loaded with additives, American Domino’s has made steps to improve it. According to the company’s 2019 Corporate Stewardship Report, Domino’s removed BHA and BHT from its pepperoni.
These are often found in processed foods such as cereals, gum, fast food, and snacks to extend freshness and help prevent spoilage caused by bacteria, mold or other issues.
It’s also a possible human carcinogen, meaning that it can increase the risk of cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
While a large pizza in the UK measures 13.5 inches across, it’s a half-inch bigger in America. That might not seem like much, but the extra half-inch could make all the 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, that makes it 1,760 calories in total.
Meanwhile, a slice in the US is about 300 calories, so if you cut that into 10 slices, that adds up to 3000 calories for the whole pizza. That’s more than one and a half times more calories than the UK pie.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adult women consume anywhere from 1600 to 2400 calories per day depending on age, and men should get anywhere from 2000 to 3000 calories per day depending on age.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has said that a 2000-calorie diet should be standard for most Americans.
In the UK, women should consume about 2,000 calories a day while men get 2,500, according to the NHS.
A slice in both nations is packed with sodium. In the US, one slice of pepperoni pizza has 720 milligrams, almost a third of the AHA’s daily recommended limit of 2,300.
It’s unclear how much salt is in a slice of regular pepperoni pizza, but according to the chain’s UK website, its Pepperoni Passion pizza has 1740 milligrams, two and a half times that of the US version.
It’s also three-quarters of the American daily limit. The UK’s limit, according to the British Heart Foundation, is 6000 milligrams per day.
Since this specialty pizza has more pepperoni on it, it’s safe to assume 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 overconsumption of salt.
Too much sodium can lead to a host of other diseases, including heart disease and stroke.
In the UK, a slice of the pizza has 15 grams of fat, seven of which are saturated. In comparison, a US slice has 12 grams, five of which are saturated.
The AHA recommends that no more than than 5-6 percent of calories from saturated fat. If you’re eating 2000 calories per day, that’s about 13 grams of saturated fat.
High saturated fat can raise LDL (bad) cholesterol, a primary risk factor for heart disease. It can also lead to conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, lupus, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Below is a comparison of ingredients in a large pepperoni pizza and the popular garlic dipping sauces in both nations:
Large Pepperoni Pizza
US Ingredients
Crust
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, oleoresin of paprika, sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrite, citric acid
Cheese
Part skim mozzarella cheese (pasteurized milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), modified food starch, cellulose (added to prevent caking), nonfat milk, whey protein concentrate, flavors, sodium propionate (added as a preservative)
Sauce
Tomatoes, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), onions, 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
Crust
Wheat flour, premix (milk, wheat), rapeseed oil, cornmeal, water, yeast
Pepperoni
Pork meat, pork fat, salt, pork rind, 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
Sauce
Tomato paste, water, salt, sugar, salt, garlic, oregano, black pepper, basil, chili, peppermint, acidity regulator: E330/citric acid
Garlic Dipping Sauce: US
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, lemon juice from concentrate, preservative: potassium sorbate, stabilizers, xanthan gum, guar gum
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