Consumption of Pizza
What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2010
Highlights
Food Surveys Research Group
Dietary Data Brief No.
11
February 2014
Called the world’s most popular food, pizza has experienced growth in sales at
both big chain and independent resta rants In addition fro en/chilled pi a
Donna G. Rhodes, MS, RD; Meghan E. Adler, MS, RD; John C. Clemens, MS;
Randy P. LaComb, MS; and Alanna J. Moshfegh, MS, RD
• About 1 in 8 Americans
consumed pizza on any given
day. More than 1 in 4 males,
ages 6-19 years, consumed
pizza on a day.
both
big
chain
and
independent
resta
u
rants
.
In
addition
,
fro
z
en/chilled
pi
zz
a
also reported growth (1). Pizza is recognized as a high consumption food and a
contributor of nutrients of public significance in the American diet, including
total fat, calcium and sodium (2). Depending on the age group, pizza ranks as
one of the top three leading contributors of sodium to the American diet (3,4).
This report presents results on pizza consumption among U.S. children and
adults during 2007-2010 by gender, age, and race/ethnicity. For consumers of
i
hidiidlh di
hi ibif
• For adults, whites were more
likely to consume pizza than
either blacks or Hispanics;
for children, there were no
differences by race/ethnicity.
p
i
zza - t
h
ose
i
n
di
v
id
ua
l
s w
h
o reporte
d
p
i
zza - t
h
e nutr
i
ent contr
ib
ut
i
on
f
rom
pizza and the eating occasion when pizza consumption occurs are also
presented.
Overall, 13% of the U.S. population aged 2 years and over, consumed pizza on
any given day The percentage consuming pizza ranged from approximately
What percentage of the U.S. population consumed pizza?
• On the day consumed, pizza
provided about one-fourth of
the total daily energy.
•
When consumed pizza
any
given
day
.
The
percentage
consuming
pizza
ranged
from
approximately
22% among older children (6-11 years) and adolescents (12-19 years) to less
than 6% among older adults, 60 years and over (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Percentage of U.S. population who consumed pizza on any given day,
WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2010
30
When
consumed
,
pizza
contributed about one-third of
the daily intakes for sodium
and calcium, and more than
half of the daily intake for
lycopene.
15 15
25
26
16
11
6
11
15
20
18
13
9
5
10
15
20
25
30
Percent
Males Females
*
*
• For adults, the majority of
pizza was consumed at
dinner. For children, the
distribution was similar for
lunch and dinner.
0
5
All 2-5 6-11 12-19 20-39 40-59 60 and over
Age (years)
*
Significantly different from females (p<0.01)
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2010, day 1, individuals 2+ years
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Research Service
Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center
Food Surveys Research Group
www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/fsrg
FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
11 -- February 2014
For all individuals, a higher percentage of males (15%) than females (11%) consumed pizza on any given
day. Across the selected age groups for 6 years and over, the percentage of males consuming pizza was
directionally higher than the percentage of females For the adolescent age group (12
Overall a higher percentage of children (2
-
19 years) consumed pizza than adults (20 years and over):
Were there differences by race/ethnicity in pizza consumption?
directionally
higher
than
the
percentage
of
females
.
For
the
adolescent
age
group
(12
-
,
percentage of males consuming pizza was significantly higher compared to females in that age group.
Overall
,
a
higher
percentage
of
children
(2
-
19
years)
consumed
pizza
than
adults
(20
years
and
over):
20% vs. 11%, respectively. Pizza consumption differed by race/ethnicity for adults; a higher percentage
of non-Hispanic white adults consumed pizza than either non-Hispanic black or Hispanic adults. For
children there were no differences in pizza consumption by race/ethnicity (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Percentage of U.S. population who consumed pizza on any given day, by race/ethnicity,
WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2010
21
20 20
20
25
30
Non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic black Hispanic
12
8
9
5
10
15
Percent
*
*
0
5
2-19 20 and over
Age (years)
*
Significantly different from non-Hispanic white (p<0.01)
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2010, day 1, individuals 2+ years
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FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
11 -- February 2014
For the U.S. population, pizza contributed 6% of the total energy for all children and 4% of the total
For consumers of pizza, what percentage of daily energy came from pizza?
energy for all adults (data not shown). This data brief will now present results among consumers of
pizza – individuals who reported pizza, in any amount, at least once on the intake day.
On the day consumed, pizza provided approximately 27% of total energy among all consumers.
Depending on the age and gender group, the percent of total daily energy intake coming from pizza
ranged from 18% to 31% among consumers (Figure 3). Among consumers of pizza, the mean energy
intake obtained from pizza was 538 kilocalories for children and 744 kilocalories for adults (data not
shown). The amount of energy contained in a slice of cheese pizza (1/8
th
of a medium, all crust types)
ranged from approximately 220-370 kilocalories (5).
Figure 3. Percentage of daily energy intake contributed by pizza among consumers of pizza,
WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2010
29
25
28
30
31
29
26
20
22
25
26
28
26
25
30
35
40
e
nt
Males Females
18
20
5
10
15
20
Perc
e
0
All 2-5 6-11 12-19 20-39 40-59 60 and over
Age (years)
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2010, day 1, individuals 2+ years
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FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
11 -- February 2014
Pi tibtd bttilltttl tititk thd fth llRlti
For children and adult consumers of pizza, what percentage of daily nutrients
came from pizza?
Pi
zza con
t
r
ib
u
t
e
d
su
b
s
t
an
ti
a
ll
y
t
o
t
o
t
a
l
nu
t
r
i
en
t
i
n
t
a
k
e among consumers on
th
e
d
ay o
f
th
e reca
ll
.
R
e
l
a
ti
ve
to energy contribution, pizza provided higher percentages of the day’s total intake for protein, total fat,
saturated fat, fiber, calcium, and lycopene among both children and adult consumers of pizza (Figure 4).
Among consumers, pizza provided about one-third of the day’s total intake for calcium and more than
one-half of the day’s total intake for lycopene. Pizza contributed 33% and 38% of the daily intake for
sodium among children and adult consumers, respectively. For consumers of pizza, the mean sodium
intake obtained from pizza was 1136 mg for children and 1599 mg for adults (data not shown).
Figure 4. Percentage of daily intake of energy and selected nutrients contributed by pizza
among children and adults who consumed pizza, WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2010
25
29
0 255075
Energy
Percent of daily intake from pizza
31
30
29
35
34
Protein
Total Fat
33
20
26
39
24
Saturated Fat
Carbohydrate
26
33
15
30
38
18
Fiber
Sodium
Potassium
29
51
18
37
58
Calcium
Lycopene
-4-
Children, 2-19 years Adults, 20 years and over
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2010, day 1, individuals 2+ years
FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
11 -- February 2014
For children, 44% of pizza consumption occurred at lunch and 42% occurred at dinner. However, for
At what eating occasion was pizza consumed by children and adults?
adults, the majority of pizza consumption was at dinner. Overall, almost 10% of pizza consumption
occurred at a snack occasion (Figure 5).
More than half (59%) of pizza consumption occurred in the home. More adults (65%) than children
(49%) consumed pizza at home (data not shown).
Figure 5 Percentage of pizza consumed by eating occasion for children and adults WWEIA NHANES 2007
2010
Figure
5
.
Percentage
of
pizza
consumed
by
eating
occasion
for
children
and
adults
,
WWEIA
,
NHANES
2007
-
2010
4
10
Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snacks
2
11
44
42
28
59
Children, 2-19 years Adults, 20 years and over
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2010, day 1, individuals 2+ years
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FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
11 -- January 2014
Pizza: Includes all food codes defined by the What We Eat in America Food Categories (6) as ‘pizza’
(4
di it t b 3602)
Definitions
(4
-
di
g
it
ca
t
egory num
b
er =
3602)
.
Pizza consumer: Any individual who reported pizza, in any amount, at least once on the intake day.
Eating occasion: A distinct eating/drinking occurrence reported during the 24-hour dietary interview
that consists of one or more food/beverage item. The name of the eating occasion was selected from a
fixed list provided during the interview. English and Spanish eating occasion names were grouped as
follows:
Breakfast: breakfast, desayuno, and almuerzo
Lunch: brunch, lunch, and comida
Dinner: dinner, supper, and cena
Snack: snack, drink, extended consumption (items that were consumed over a long period of time),
merienda, entre comidas, botana, bocadillo, tentempie, and bebida.
At home: During the 24-hour dietary interview, respondents were asked where each reported
food/beverage was eaten – at home or away from home?
Estimates in this report are based on one day of dietary intake data collected in What We Eat in America
(WWEIA), the dietary interview component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
(NHANES). Data from WWEIA NHANES 2007-2008 and 2009-2010 were combined. The study
sample included 17,571 individuals, aged 2 years and over (excluding breast-fed children), with complete
Data source
and reliable intakes. Sample weights were applied in all analyses to produce nationally representative
estimates. Dietary intake of foods and beverages were obtained from an in-person 24-hour recall,
collected using the interviewer-administered 5-step USDA Automated Multiple-Pass Method. The
WWEIA Food Categories (6) were used to define the food group – pizza.
References
1. Barrett L. Pizza power 2013 state of the industry report. PMQ Pizza Magazine. December 2012.
www.pmq.com
2. Nickle M, Pehrsson P. USDA updates nutrient values for fast food pizza. Procedia Food Science
2013;2: 87-92.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vital signs: food categories contributing the most to
sodium consumption — United States, 2007–2008. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2012;61:92-98.
4. Drewnowski A, Reh
m
CD. Sodium intakes of US children and adults from foods and beverages by
location of origin and by specific food source. Nutrients 2013; 1840-1855.
5. Ahuja JKA, Montville JB, Omolewa-Tomobi G, Heendeniya KY, Martin CL, Steinfeldt LC, Anand J,
Adler ME, LaComb RP, and Moshfegh AJ. 2012. USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary
Studies, 5.0. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Food Surveys Research
Group, Beltsville, MD.
6
U S Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service 2013 What We Eat in America Food
6
.
U
.
S
.
Department
of
Agriculture
,
Agricultural
Research
Service
.
2013
.
What
We
Eat
in
America
Food
Categories 2009-2010. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/fsrg
-6-
FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
11 -- February 2014
Donna G. Rhodes, Meghan E. Adler, John C. Clemens, Randy P. LaComb, and Alanna J. Moshfegh are
About the authors
Suggested citation
with the Food Surveys Research Group, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural
Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Rhodes DG, Adler ME, Clemens JC, LaComb RP, Moshfegh AJ. Consumption of Pizza: What We Eat in
America, NHANES 2007-2010. Food Surveys Research Group Dietary Data Brief No. 11. February 2014.
Suggested
citation
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Research Service
Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center
Food Surveys Research Group
www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/fsrg