Papa John's is spending $100 million to actually offer 'better ingredients'

By Hayley Peterson

Papa John's is spending a whopping $100 million a year to remove artificial ingredients from its food, Bloomberg reports. The pizza chain last year pulled MSG from its ranch dressing and trans fats from its garlic sauce amid growing consumer demand for better-quality ingredients.

While the chain has touted offering "better ingredients" for years, critics say it's impossible to tell what really makes them better.

Now Papa John's is working to remove another 14 ingredients, including corn syrup and artificial colors, from its menu by next year.

The changes cost a ton of money, but in some cases they aren't making the food taste any better, according to Papa John's CEO John Schnatter.

"It's hard to remove some of these things and still get the flavor and functionality you want," Schnatter told Bloomberg. "We gave up flavor on the ranch dressing because I wanted to get the chemical out."

Removing artificial ingredients is so expensive because natural ingredients are more expensive than artificial substitutes.

Schnatter told Bloomberg that it costs more than $2 million annually to serve pepperoni free of the preservatives BHA and BHT.

Panera, Subway, Taco Bell, and McDonald's have also been removing artificial ingredients, antibiotics, and other additives from their menus.