Pizza Hut Jumps on Lower-Fat Bandwagon

In recent years, Pizza Hut has operated on the assumption that people like cheese -- the more, the better.

But the world's No. 1 pizza chain faced up to consumers' -- and health advocates' -- insistence that fast-food chains start offering lower-fat items.

The company, a unit of Yum Brands Inc., launched a new Fit 'N Delicious pizza that contains half the cheese of a regular pizza served on the brand's thin crust. The pizzas will also use lean meats for toppings.

"Consumers today are paying a lot more attention to what they're eating," Peter Hearl, Pizza Hut's president, stated.

A slice of the new pizza has 3.5 to 5 grams of fat, depending on the toppings. That's about 25 percent less than the usual thin-crusted slice, the company said in a statement.

In selected markets, Pizza Hut will also offer bagged salad kits.

The lower-fat initiative dovetails with Pizza Hut's latest marketing campaign, "Gather 'Round the Good Stuff," which aims to convince busy working mothers to opt for pizza for family dinners.

"Families are the heart of our category. Mothers want to feel good about what they're serving their families," Hearl said.

Dallas-based Pizza Hut will continue to offer its regular menu for those looking to indulge, including the Stuffed Crust Pizza, whose crust is filled with cheese. A slice of that pizza has about 20 grams of fat depending on the toppings.

Pizza Hut is the latest chain to unveil healthier items in the face of changing consumer tastes and growing concerns about high rates of obesity in the United States.

McDonald's and Wendy's International Inc. have both had great success with their entree salads. Last month, Pizza Hut's sister chain Taco Bell launched an option to replace sour cream and cheese with fresh salsa on a variety of items.

Pizza Hut wasn't always so gung-ho about lower-fat issues. In response to a report last year criticizing the high fat content in pizza, then-President Mike Rawlings said "Americans love cheese.... And frankly, I think people are a little tired of being told what to eat."

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