At Casey’s, thin-crust pizza fills a menu void.

At Casey’s, thin-crust pizza fills a menu void.

A void in the convenience store chain’s menu was filled with a solid addition this summer: thin-crust pizza, which debuted at Casey’s General Stores.

During a Sept. 12 conference call to review first-quarter results, Casey’s president and chief executive officer, Darren M. Rebelez, informed analysts that the company’s loyalty data indicated that roughly 16% of thin-crust pizza sales originated from new customers entering the pizza category. According to him, all but 12% of the sales came from new Casey’s patrons.

That has been really beneficial, Mr. Rebelez stated. And that was actually our presumption going into the thin-crust (pizza launch), which was that some visitors might just be interested in that. And if we don’t get that offer, there will be a family veto vote on it. And that’s all that has happened thus far. And it would be supported by the rewards data.According to Mr. Rebelez, it’s difficult to determine whether Casey’s has surpassed any of its rivals in terms of market share.

Therefore, it’s really hard to say, but I couldn’t deny that since we introduced the thin crust, competitors have been promoting their products more frequently,” he added. “I believe that in terms of velocity, the other pizza players have encountered some difficulties. Thus, I believe they’re beginning to become a little more promotional in any case, but our actions haven’t seemed to have any effect on that.

Meanwhile, a partnership with King’s Hawaiian in Torrance, California, helped Casey’s hot lunch sandwich segment grow. According to Mr. Rebelez, Casey’s had a 30% rise in sales of hot lunch sandwiches in the first quarter thanks to the chain’s BBQ brisket sandwich served on King’s Hawaiian buns.

Food makers have received guidelines from the US Food and Drug Administration regarding reducing sodium content. Although the advice is optional, some businesses believe that action is required. Nowadays, Americans 14 years of age and older consume 50% more sodium on average than is advised. More than 95% of children between the ages of 2 and 13 consume more sodium than is advised for their age groups. This is a tendency that may eventually affect health consequences.

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According to Amr Shaheed, technical service manager-food applications, Innophos, Cranbury, NJ, “school nutrition professionals are focused on reducing sodium in school breakfast and lunch programs to comply with the new USDA weekly sodium limits governing school meals, which are aligned with the FDA voluntary sodium targets.” “The rule suggests a multi-year approach to lowering weekly salt goals beginning in 2025, giving nutritionists time to make the changes. This schedule necessitates that new product formulation begin immediately.

Ingredient providers are prepared to assist with various ingredient technologies to make functional substitutions or lessen somewhat here and there without sacrificing the safety and quality of the final product. According to the FDA, the initiatives are an important step toward developing a better food supply and reversing the trend of chronic diseases linked to diet. This is due to the fact that consuming excessive amounts of sodium raises the risk of hypertension, which in turn raises the risk of heart attacks and strokes.