Consumers urged to beware high calorie count of pizza meals

It may be a delicious meal at the end of a long day or a tasty option when you don’t feel like cooking, but that cheesy and tempting pizza comes at a cost.

A 12in takeaway pizza could see you eating more than the total recommended daily intake of calories, saturated fat, and salt.

It’s generally recommended that women should consume about 2,000 calories a day and men 2,500,depending on their level of activity.

The survey by Safefood found that deep-base pepperoni pizzas were shown to be the least healthy, whereas thin-base cheese and tomato pizzas were found to be the healthiest option.

The group looked at takeaway pizzas and found that size matters, with over half of people ordering a 12in pizza and one in five now choosing the ‘large’ size.

The body responsible for the promotion of food safety on the island of Ireland analysed 240 takeaway pizzas from 60 different outlets.

With 40% of the population eating pizza at least once a week, it found there were few healthier options when ordering takeaway pizza.

Only 10% of the takeaways offered healthier options such as lower-fat cheese, a thin pizza base or additional vegetable toppings.

Just 7% offered child-size portions.

Safefood’s director of human health and nutrition, Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, said it was worrying that people did not realise that takeaway pizzas contained a high level of calories, salt and saturated fat.

“And that’s before you begin to consider the side orders like chips, wedges and garlic bread that we are frequently tempted to buy to accompany the pizza,” she said.

People were also eating large pizzas, not just as a substantial meal, but as a late night snack.

Dr Foley Nolan said consumers could make healthier choices by considering what makes up their pizza.

Healthier options include a thinner base, lower fat cheese and more vegetables instead of processed meats like pepperoni or bacon as toppings.