DiGiorno Ultimate Pepperoni Rising Crust Pizza

DiGiorno
12 Poor
$3.67 · 24.7 oz
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Summary

DiGiorno Ultimate Pepperoni Rising Crust scores 12/100. A textbook ultra-processed frozen pizza with multiple compounding harms: pepperoni cured with sodium nitrite (IARC Group 1 known human carcinogen, causally linked to colorectal cancer in the WHO 2015 monograph) plus BHA/BHT. The crust is bleached enriched flour with sugar, soybean oil, mono/diglycerides, DATEM, L-cysteine hydrochloride, and calcium propionate. The shredded cheese is cut with modified food starch and powdered cellulose. Owned by Nestlé.

At a glance

Beneficial ingredients 2
Harmful ingredients 12
Owned by Nestlé
Category Pizza

Key ingredients 16

Sodium Nitrite
Very Bad

Curing agent in the pepperoni. Forms N-nitrosamines in the stomach during digestion — IARC Group 1 (KNOWN human carcinogen). The 2015 WHO/IARC monograph on processed meat causally linked nitrite-cured meats to colorectal cancer.

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BHA & BHT
Very Bad

Synthetic preservatives in the pepperoni. BHA is listed on California Proposition 65 as a known carcinogen; both are restricted or banned in the European Union, Japan, and several other jurisdictions. Suspected endocrine disruptors.

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Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour
Bad

Refined bleached flour with synthetic vitamin replacement. Stripped of bran and germ; rapid glycemic spike.

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Sugar (in crust + sauce)
Bad

Added sugar in both the dough and the tomato sauce — unnecessary in a savory pizza, contributes to the metabolic load.

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Soybean Oil
Very Bad

Industrial seed oil, hexane-extracted, high in omega-6 linoleic acid, almost certainly from glyphosate-sprayed GMO soy.

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Mono- and Diglycerides
Bad

Emulsifier. The FDA does not require trans-fat disclosure for mono-/diglycerides themselves, so they often contain residual industrial trans fats not declared on the label.

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DATEM (Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides)
Bad

Synthetic dough conditioner. Banned in Australia. Animal studies have shown adrenal hyperplasia and heart fibrosis at high doses.

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L-Cysteine Hydrochloride
Bad

Dough softener. Industrially produced from human hair, duck feathers, or hog hair — the FDA does not require disclosure of the source.

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Calcium Propionate
Bad

Mold inhibitor preservative. Recent rodent and human pediatric studies link propionate preservatives to behavioral changes, irritability, and sleep disturbance.

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Modified Food Starch
Bad

Chemically modified cornstarch used as cheese filler — almost certainly from GMO corn.

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Powdered Cellulose
Bad

Wood-pulp fiber added as anti-caking agent in the shredded cheese. Inert but reduces actual cheese density and is a marker of cost-cutting.

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Natural and Artificial Flavors
Bad

Undisclosed synthetic and 'natural' flavor compounds; FDA flavor loophole hides the actual chemistry.

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Tomato Puree
Good

Real tomatoes — the only genuinely whole-food ingredient in the formula.

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Mozzarella Cheese
Neutral

Real cheese — but cut with modified food starch and powdered cellulose for the shredded blend.

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Spices, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder
Good
Pepperoni (Pork, Beef, Salt)
Neutral

Conventional pork/beef cure base — the harms come from the nitrite + BHA/BHT additives listed above.

See more about Pepperoni (Pork, Beef, Salt) →

Processing

Group 4 · Ultra-processed

Ultra-Processed Foods

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