DiGiorno Pepperoni Rising Crust Pizza: Labelgrade C (64/100)

The short answer

DiGiorno Pepperoni Rising Crust Pizza delivers 16g of protein and 350 calories per 0.167 PIZZA (USDA FDC 2091622). Per 100g that’s 11.4g of protein; per oz, 3.2g. The Labelgrade is C (64 / 100): Additive-heavy formulation (maltodextrin or corn syrup and MSG or curing nitrites), effectively zero sugar, and high sodium per 100g.

Why this Labelgrade

How it compares

The sodium is the headline

Read the macros and one number jumps out: 951mg of sodium per slice. That’s the highest in this entire pepperoni-pizza set, and it’s the single thing that pins the grade at a C. To put it in context, 951mg is roughly 41% of the FDA’s 2,300mg daily ceiling — from one 1/6 wedge. Stack two slices and you’re around 1,900mg before dinner is even over. Stack three and you’ve blown past a full day’s sodium from pizza alone.

Where does it all come from? It’s a three-way pile-up: the cured pepperoni (salt is part of how cured meat is preserved and flavored), the salted low-moisture mozzarella, and the dough itself, which carries added salt plus sodium-bearing leaveners like sodium aluminum phosphate and baking soda. None of those is a fluke — they’re structural to how a shelf-stable, browned, flavor-forward frozen pizza gets made. That’s why this is a sodium-and-saturated-fat delivery vehicle first and a protein source second. The 6g of saturated fat per slice (a B- on its own) tells the same story from the cheese-and-pork side.

The protein is real, but consider the trade

To be fair to it: the 16g of protein per slice is genuine, and most of it comes from the mozzarella, which is real cheese, not a filler. That’s why DiGiorno grades a notch above a cheese-light junk pizza — there’s actual food in the topping. Sixteen grams clears the FDA’s bar for a “high in protein” claim, and on the surface that sounds like a point in its favor.

But weigh what comes attached. To get those 16g of protein you also take on 350 calories, 951mg of sodium, and 40g of mostly refined carbohydrate. The same 16g of protein from plain chicken breast costs you about 85 calories and a fraction of the salt. So the protein is a real bonus on a slice you were going to eat anyway — it is not a reason to choose pizza as your protein. If protein is the goal, this is one of the least efficient ways to hit it; if dinner is the goal and you want a little protein along for the ride, the cheese is doing honest work.

Scope

This page covers DiGiorno Pepperoni Rising Crust Pizza (2.51 kg/839 g), UPC 071921023492, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2091622. DiGiorno sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.

Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)

ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, LOW-MOISTURE PART-SKIM MOZZARELLA CHEESE (PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), PEPPERONI MADE WITH PORK, CHICKEN AND BEEF (PORK, MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN, BEEF, SALT, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SPICES, DEXTROSE, PORK STOCK, LACTIC ACID STARTER CULTURE, OLEORESIN OF PAPRIKA, FLAVORING, SODIUM NITRITE, SODIUM ASCORBATE, PAPRIKA, NATURAL SMOKE FLAVOR, BHA, BHT, CITRIC ACID), TOMATO PASTE, SUGAR, 2% OR LESS OF WHEAT GLUTEN, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN OIL AND/OR CORN OIL), DEGERMINATED WHITE CORN MEAL, YEAST, SALT, DEGERMINATED YELLOW CORN MEAL, SEASONING BLEND (SALT, SPICE, DRIED GARLIC), BAKING POWDER (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE), DATEM, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, ASCORBIC ACID (DOUGH CONDITIONER).

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Scope: This page applies specifically to Pepperoni Rising Crust Pizza (2.51 kg/839 g) · UPC 071921023492. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.