New Standards, No Problem! Domino's Smart Slice School Lunch Pizza Continues Growing, Meets New USDA Nutrition Guidelines

Domino's nearly tripled number of participating schools in the past year

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Apr 10, 2012, 07:07 ET

ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ), the recognized world leader in pizza delivery, continues growing and developing its Domino's Smart Slice school lunch program, which meets the revised USDA nutrition standards for school lunch. The program has nearly tripled the number of participating schools in the past year.

Domino's Smart Slice, when topped with lite mozzarella cheese, meets the USDA school lunch nutrition standards for calories, fat and sodium – with each slice featuring four grams of fiber, 24 grams of whole grains and an excellent source of calcium. Launched three years ago, and originally developed to meet possible adjustments to these standards, Domino's Smart Slice participating schools will not need to make any changes to meet the updated guidelines.

The number of schools that now participate in the Domino's Smart Slice program has increased from 1,100 schools in early 2011 to more than 3,000 schools across 37 states.

"We are excited about the success of Domino's Smart Slice, and are proud to be providing a nutritious, great-tasting product that already meets the new federal guidelines," said J. Patrick Doyle, Domino's Pizza president and chief executive officer. "The feedback from school districts has been overwhelmingly positive – proven by the fact that we saw more than a 250 percent increase in the number of school districts participating in just one year."

Through its partnership with Dairy Management Inc. and its nutrition arm, the National Dairy Council, Domino's is committed to supporting active lifestyles in schools as a founding partner of the GENYOUth Foundation.

Domino's will be donating $1 million to the GENYOUth Foundation over the next three years. Doyle is on the GENYOUth Foundation board of directors, and Russell Weiner, Domino's Pizza chief marketing officer, has been tapped as a strategic marketing resource.

"GENYOUth inspires and educates youths to improve their nutrition and increase physical activity, and Domino's Smart Slice is a perfect example of how food companies can formulate products to fit both healthy school nutrition standards and the taste preferences of students," said Tom Gallagher, Chairman of the GENYOUth Foundation and CEO of Dairy Management Inc. "Cheese, and dairy in general, plays a key role in a healthy school day, and Domino's is a valuable partner in our efforts."

Among the many markets that have seen significant growth, Domino's Smart Slice has been especially successful in the Granbury Public School District due to a 50 percent increase in the number of schools participating in the Domino's Smart Slice program since January 2011.

"Pizza is without a doubt our students' favorite food, and Domino's Smart Slice allows us a more nutritious alternative," said Alicia Hernandez, school nutrition director in Granbury, Texas. "In addition to assuring parents their children are getting the necessary nutrition, it is delicious, loved by students and already meets the nutrition standards – making Domino's Smart Slice a great win-win for us."

Freshly baked and delivered to schools, Domino's Smart Slice features multiple nutritious ingredients like whole-grain crust, light mozzarella cheese, reduced sodium sauce and reduced fat, reduced sodium pepperoni. To be considered part of the Domino's Smart Slice program, schools must purchase pizzas with whole-grain crust or lite mozzarella cheese.

For more information about Domino's Smart Slice, visit www.schoollunch.dominos.com.

About Domino's Pizza®

Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza is the recognized world leader in pizza delivery. Domino's is listed on the NYSE under the symbol "DPZ." As of the fourth quarter of 2011, through its primarily locally-owned and operated franchised system, Domino's operated a network of 9,742 franchised and Company-owned stores in the United States and over 70 international markets. Domino's Pizza had global retail sales of over $6.9 billion in 2011, comprised of over $3.4 billion domestically and over $3.5 billion internationally.

In May 2011, Pizza Today named Domino's its "Chain of the Year" for the second straight year – making the company a three-time overall winner, and the first pizza delivery company to receive the honor in back-to-back years. In 2011, Domino's was ranked #1 in Forbes Magazine's "Top 20 Franchises for the Money" list. Helped by the launch of its Domino's Smart Slice school lunch pizza in late 2010, Domino's is collaborating with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to serve healthier school foods and beverages in the United States. In late 2009, Domino's debuted its "Inspired New Pizza" – a permanent change to its hand-tossed product, reinvented from the crust up.

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