Papa John’s Pizza is often thought of as using the best ingredients, but most people don’t realize what happened according to recent tests.
Recently, the company’s products were tested for residues of the cancer-linked Monsanto chemical glyphosate, and Papa John’s fared surprisingly bad according to the latest results from one of the country’s biggest emerging watchdog organizations.
Papa John’s Comes in Worst for Highest in Cancer Causing Chemical, Surprise Winner for Smallest Amount
According to the lab tests, which were conducted by the non-profit organization and Facebook page GMO Free USA through Health Research Institute Laboratories, the pizza crust for Papa John’s tested the highest among three chains in terms of its glyphosate residue levels.
The Papa John’s crust came in last at 213.05 effective parts per billion of the chemical, which was dubbed a “probable human carcinogen” by the World Health Organization’s top cancer research body in 2015.
***
Have you tried it yet?
This is the water filter I use to take glyphosate out of my water supply (along with chlorine and fluoride).
***
Just 0.1 ppb of glyphosate has been shown to alter the gene function of over 4,000 genes in the livers and kidneys, and causes severe organ damage in rats.
The other two pizza brands tested were Domino’s which came in second worst at 60.46 ppb, followed by Pizza Hut, which came in with the lowest levels at 9.84 effective ppb, still relatively high considering how little of the chemical is needed to begin causing damage within the bodies of living organisms.
Unfortunately, all three chains almost certainly still use GMOs in their recipes.
Restaurant Chains with ‘Best Quality’ Ingredients Among the Worst Tested
Perhaps the most surprising part of the test results, which can be read in full here, is that two chains with slogans touting their quality ingredients, Papa John’s and Panera Bread, tested high for glyphosate residues.
“Papa John’s, the company that claims to use the best ingredients, had by far the highest level of glyphosate of all the restaurants tested,” a post from the organization on Facebook read.
In addition to pizza restaurants, GMO Free USA also tested foods from major restaurant chains across the country for glyphosate residues.
The highest amount of glyphosate found in a single food item was on a bagel from Panera Bread, a chain that claims its food is “100% clean,” the non-profit also said.
A Healthier Pizza Alternative
In my mind, the best way to make a healthy pizza is to make it at home.
Use organic tomato sauce, which is relatively cheap, and organic or natural non-GMO cheese whenever possible.
I like to make my own pizza on an oven pizza stone like this one, with fresh cut veggies like peppers, onions, avocadoes (technically a fruit but goes great one pizza), and nitrate-free, preferably organic pepperonis whenever possible.
I usually cook my pizza at high temperatures for less time, that way it comes out crispy and delicious instead of cold and undercooked like many pizza chains. Try it today, this stone is very similar to what I use for my pizza.
This article was first written in March 2019 and republished in January 2021.
Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.
About Nick Meyer
