The frozen pizzas They are certainly a practical and economic solution for those who have a short time and prefer to avoid ordering in a pizzeria or trying the home preparation. Born in the United States in the 1950s, they spread quickly on a global level, becoming one of the most purchased options among frozen products. Just think that in only 2023, in Italy, 63,500 tons were consumed, placing fourth among the best -selling frozen foods, after fish products, vegetables and chips.
But beyond the practicality, do these products guarantee an acceptable quality level? The traditional recipe of the Margherita pizza includes essential and genuine ingredients, such as soft wheat flour, brewer’s yeast, water, salt, tomato, mozzarella, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil. Industrial versions, however, are often characterized by lists of far more articulated ingredients, which include additives and components typical of ultra -prompt foods.
A test conducted by the magazine The lifeguard analyzed 14 frozen Margherita pizzas for sale in the main Italian supermarkets, highlighting numerous discrepancies compared to the original recipe. In many cases, the similarity with the real pizza Margherita is limited to the image on the package, while on the nutritional and taste level significant differences emerge compared to that prepared at home or in pizzeria.
What revealed the analysis on frozen pizzas
One of the most critical aspects concerns the type of fat used. In 11 products the sunflower oil has been identified, while in two cases it has resorted to the rapese oil. Only a pizza has maintained the exclusive use of extra virgin olive oil, while in three the precious seasoning was mixed with other oils. Nine pizzas, on the other hand, contained generic olive oil.
An even more worrying figure concerns the pizza that obtained the lowest evaluation: among its ingredients it was a mix of vegetable fats, including coconut oil, soybean, sunflower, rapeseed and margarine, a combination that is anything but healthy.
The quantity and quality of the main ingredients also showed considerable variations. The content of mozzarella and tomato, in particular, proved to be quite limited: only six pizzas exceeded 22% of mozzarella, while in just four products the percentage of tomato reached 20%.
An additional often neglected element concerns the presence of sugar, identified in 9 out of 14 pizzas. In addition, in five samples analyzed, the basil was replaced by oregano.
Before buying a frozen pizza, it is therefore essential to carefully examine the label, to identify a product that approaches as much as possible to the authentic recipe and contain good quality ingredients.
The products that have obtained the worst evaluations
The analysis took into account several parameters to assign the scores, penalizing the presence of non -traditional fats and oils, such as margarine and coconut oil, as well as the low amount of mozzarella and tomato. The use of additives and acidity correctors, typical of industrial production, has negatively influenced the overall evaluation of some products.
In general, the score was attributed according to the distance from the classic recipe: the greater the number of added ingredients, the evaluation obtained is less.
Two pizzas in particular distinguished themselves in a negative sense. The product that recorded the worst result was frozen pizza Three mills (Eurospin)with a score of 3.9 out of 10. A mixture of coconut oils, soy, sunflower and rapeseed oils, in addition to vegetable margarine, while the mozzarella content stops at 15% and that of tomato at 16%, stand out. In addition, the presence of sugar was detected.
Also the Buitoni the high It did not reach sufficiency, obtaining a score of 5
