Ask Italian has unveiled new pizza dough made exclusively with Wildfarmed regenerative flour, as part of its journey towards net zero by 2040.
The new dough will be used for both pizzas and garlic bread at all 66 of the chain’s outlets nationwide and comes at a time when a new spring menu is being launched. This features the likes of Garlic King Prawn pizza with sweet slow-roasted tomatoes, the Fiery Calabria Di Capra with ‘Nduja sausage, melted goat’s cheese and a drizzle of honey, and the vegan Pianta with spinach, balsamic onions, peppers, tomatoes and MozzaRisella on a spicy plant-based creamy base.
Both Ask Italian and Wildfarmed are supported by Foodsteps, a UK-based sustainability tech start-up which provides data on the environmental impact of food. This has enabled them to estimate that the shift from conventional to regeneratively-farmed flour will result in a 50% reduction in carbon intensity when compared to Ask’s previous dough. Carbon intensity refers to the kilograms of greenhouse gases emitted per kilogram of product produced.
“We’re thrilled to be the first chain restaurant to use 100% Wildfarmed flour in our dough, bringing the great work of the Wildfarmed growing community to Ask neighbourhoods and offering customers more delicious, planet-friendly options for eating out,” said Corinne Prior, marketing director at Ask Italian.
“The work that Wildfarmed does to improve farming and biodiversity is hugely important when looking at making a positive impact on the way we farm our food. Dough is amongst the top five ingredients that directly contribute to Ask’s food emissions so our partnership with Wildfarmed is a significant step towards our net zero goal,” she added.
Edd Lees, co-founder of Wildfarmed, said the supplier’s mission is to make food grown in landscapes full of life accessible to everyone. “Teaming up with Ask Italian will help us do just that, allowing more people to enjoy real, nutritious food and join the movement to fix our broken food system,” he noted.
In the months after Wildfarmed won Sustainability Initiative of the Year at the 2023 Baking Industry Awards, several bakery businesses have confirmed moves to using its regenerative flour in their recipes. New and reformulated products include sourdough loaves and burger buns by The Bread Factory, filled ciabatta loaves by Simply Lunch, ready-to-use living sourdough by Puratos, and savoury mini muffins by Higgidy.
Ask Italian is part of the Azzurri Group, which also operates Italian restaurant chain Zizzi and food-to-go brand Coco di Mama in the UK.
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