Papa John's Completes Removal of 14 Unwanted Ingredients

Letter from Founder, Chairman and CEO "Papa John" Schnatter celebrates latest accomplishment in brand's BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA. Promise

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In June of 2015, Papa John's International Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) announced that it was working to remove 14 unwanted ingredients from its menu. Today, the pizza-making organization marked another Clean Label milestone with the fulfillment of that promise through a letter from Founder, Chairman and CEO "Papa John" Schnatter.

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Dear Fellow Pizza Lovers -

Last June, I made a promise in an open letter in USA Today to the Moms and Dads of America that we would remove 14 unwanted ingredients from Papa John's pizzas by the end of 2016. Those ingredients included:

Artificial Colors (Synthetic and Certified FD&C)
1. Synthetic Beta Carotene
2. Caramel Color
3. Corn Syrup Solids
4. Titanium Dioxide (color enhancer)

Artificial Flavors
5. Vanillin

Flavor Enhancers
6. Disodium Guanylate
7. Disodium Inosinate
8. Hydrolyzed Corn/Soy Protein
9. Autolyzed Yeast

Sweeteners
10. HFCS
11. Corn Syrup

Preservatives
12. Calcium Propionate
13. Phosphoric Acids

Other
14. Maltodextrin - thickener

Today, I'm proud to announce that promise has been fulfilled! We have completed the full removal of these unwanted ingredients across our entire food menu. We continue to be a brand leader when it comes to clean ingredients by achieving key milestones on our promise of BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA., which was pledged over 30 years ago. We are incredibly proud of the work we have done, and continue to do, to fulfill this promise.

I started this company with a commitment to providing families with the highest-quality ingredients on our menu. I knew that with better ingredients, we could create better pizzas for everyone to enjoy. We continue to deliver on this promise today.

As part of our Clean Label commitment to you, Papa John's was the first national pizza delivery chain to announce the removal of: preservatives such as BHA and BHT, flavor enhancer MSG, cellulose and partially hydrogenated oils, and High Fructose Corn Syrup. We also fully transitioned our chicken used in grilled chicken pizza toppings and chicken poppers to be fed on a vegetarian diet and raised without human or animal antibiotics. And as we promised this summer - we've completed the transition to cage-free eggs across our entire menu.

But we aren't done being "Better." Our Chief Ingredient Officer, Sean Muldoon, and his team continue to explore how we can deliver on our promise of BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA. This fall, you will hear more from us with new and innovative menu items that remain true to our clean ingredient promise. We continue to prioritize our path of quality and transparency, and work to deliver better ingredients with every single order.

When I opened the doors to Papa John's in 1984, I had one goal in mind: Better Pizza. Today, our Clean Label journey remains an essential part of that promise, and our commitment to you, our customer, is as strong as ever. As we look ahead, I am proud to continue creating milestones on that journey and excited to show you what we have in store for the future.

Papa John's: Better Ingredients. Always Had Them. Always Will.

Respectfully,
"Papa John" Schnatter
Founder, Chairman and CEO

About Papa John's

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third-largest pizza delivery company. For 15 of the past 17 years, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's is the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League and Official Pizza of Major League Baseball. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John's at www.papajohns.com. Also visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PapaJohns, Twitter at www.twitter.com/PapaJohns, YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/papajohns, Instagram at www.instagram.com/papajohns, Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/papajohnspizza, and Vine at www.vine.co/papajohns. Looking to be a part of something Better? Learn more about franchising with Papa John's at www.papajohns.com/franchise.

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Papa John's International, Inc.
Peter Collins, 502-261-4233
Senior Director, Public Relations
peter_collins@papajohns.com

Source: Papa John's International, Inc.

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