Pizza remains a ubiquitous favorite, with 350 slices sold per second in the United States.

Pepperoni-maker Hormel released its top pizza trends, which are:

• Ribbon pepperoni, a trend coming from Canada.
• Giardiniera, “a pickled assortment of vegetables like peppers, olives and cauliflower, submerged in a tangy mixture of vinegar and oil.” Hormel notes this blend is particularly good with Italian sausage.
• Global flavors, such as chimichurri or miso.
• Post-bake creativity, with various sauces and toppings added after the pizza comes out of the oven.
• Sesame seed crust, which adds an extra crunch with a“delicious, nutty undertone.”

General Mills shared the results of a crust-focused survey it conducted. When asked what makes a crust have good texture, Americans responded:

• 33%: Dual texture—crispy on the outside, airy on the inside.
• 32%: It’s crispy.
• 29%: It’s thin.
• 26%: It’s thick.
• 15%: It’s airy/chewy.

Datassential also shared its top pizza trends for 2024.

One major trend is an increased focus on healthy ingredients. According to Datassential, half of all consumers agreed equally that pizza is an indulgent meal, and that they prefer pizza made with healthful ingredients.

While indulgent pizzas continue to win out overall, younger generations are more interested in better-for-you offerings as a whole, the market research firm found.

“Two-thirds of consumers said they had a pizza in the last week. In fact, as a rule, consumers don’t go too long without one of their favorite foods: Only 8% said it had been longer than a month since they ate pizza, compared with 21% who said they’d had pizza in the last two to three days,” Datassential reported.

There’s plenty of opportunity for c-stores. Datassential shows that 55% of consumers got their last pizza from a chain restaurant, a quarter from an independent pizzeria, 10% from a sit-down restaurant and just 5% from a convenience store.