Papa Johns is hitting back at critics this veganuary after receiving complaints that its new vegan Jackfruit ‘pepperoni’ pizza tastes a bit too much like the real thing.
The tongue-in-cheek campaign showcases a complaint made by a furious vegan customer who genuinely believed that they had eaten real pork pepperoni – instead of the pizza chain’s jackfruit substitute.
To celebrate the accusations that it has ‘ruined veganuary‘, Papa Johns has commissioned a giant out-of-home billboard displaying a customer’s furious complaint over the taste of its jackfruit pepperoni pizza.
“As Veganuary comes to a close, we are demonstrating our commitment to our year-round vegan menu by continuing to develop and improve meat alternatives,” Papa Johns marketing director, Rebecca Carroll said.
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“By dispelling any confusion around our real-tasting, real-looking meat alternatives, we hope customers can continue to enjoy their favourite vegan products – or perhaps try something new!”
The PR stunt comes as the US brand is increasingly looking to expand its vegan offering through product research and development. The billboard will be visible across London this weekend.
Papa Johns international R&D director, Adam Wilcock added: “This customer feedback is testament to the recent expanded research and development we have put into our vegan range.”
“The new Jackfruit ‘pepperoni’ has been developed in line with our usual meat pepperoni by using the same spices for the same flavour, and we’ve paid specific attention to developing the thickness and texture to give it a similar texture to the real thing.”
