Pizza Hut Is Going Gluten-Free

Gluten-free pizza image via Keith McDuffee/Flickr

UPDATE: January 19 2:26 p.m.:

Pizza Hut reps responded to our location request and confirmed that the gluten-free pizza will only be available at four Massachusetts locations: 180 South St., Pittsfield; 15 State Rd., Dartmouth; 145A N Main St., Belchertown; and 62 W Main St., Spencer. So, at this time, it looks like only Western Mass. residents get to try the gluten-free pizza options.

Original story:

Enter Pizza Hut and their solution: A partnership with Udi’s Gluten-Free Certified Crust and the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG).For some, whether or not you actually need to go gluten-free is debatable. But if you have celiac or gluten sensitivity, then it’s not a lifestyle choice, it’s a necessity. And while national brands like Girl Scout Cookies and others have hopped on the trend, some, like Domino’s, are very clear that if you have celiac disease, then their “gluten-free” pizza is not for you. There’s a chance of cross-contamination because the crusts are prepared in a completely separate space.

By using Udi’s crust and a special “Gluten-Free Kit” developed by GIG, Pizza Hut’s reps say that the pizzas will be safe for those with celiac. Although Pizza Hut kitchens are not gluten-free, the kit was developed as a sound way to store pizza ingredients in order to minimize risk of cross-contamination.

While preparing the gluten-free pizzas, Pizza Hut reps told HuffPo that employees “will wear gloves, bake the fresh-to-order pizza on parchment paper and use a designated gluten-free pizza cutter. Then, the pizzas will be placed in pizza boxes featuring Udi’s Gluten-Free crust for delivery.” Gluten-shunning customers will have the option of plain cheese and pepperoni.

The pizzas are set to launch in 2,400 stores nationwide starting January 26. We reached out to a few Massachusetts locations (Hyde Park, Medford, and Revere) to see if they would be one of the couple thousand offering the selection. They were not sure yet, but a manager at the Medford store said they should know as soon as next week. If the pizzas are well-received, then Pizza Hut says it may roll out the gluten-free pizzas out nationwide.