The Commerce Commission has launched an investigation into Hell Pizza’s use of plant-based meat substitutes on its burger pizza.
A Commission spokesperson told 1 NEWS the investigation was "fundamentally" due to several complaints about Hell’s use of Beyond Meat products, which contains pea protein, on a pizza it advertised as including "medium-rare burger patty".
There was concern about customers being able to make informed decisions, especially in relation to allergens.
The spokesperson said the investigation could result in a "range of action". This action included Hell Pizza being given compliance advice or a warning.
No further comment was made as the investigation is ongoing.
Hell Pizza general manager Ben Cumming said he was "surprised to see [the investigation] announced today" as he had met with the Commission last week.
He said the meeting was "amicable" and that Hell Pizza was "open and honest with them".
He told TVNZ1’s Seven Sharp last month he did not believe the company had been "outwardly" deceptive when advertising its burger pizza.
He said using products from the US-based alternative meat company was done to "make people a bit more aware of what was out there in the world of plant-based meat options".
"We thought it'd be a great idea to actually just advertise it in a really subtle way," he said.
"We just called them burger patties instead of saying specifically what they're made of, and that way we could get as many people to try them as possible, and hopefully just open their minds into what was out there."
The Commission’s investigation follows the Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) investigation over Hell Pizza's potential breach of the Food Act.
MPI tweeted it met with Hell’s Pizza bosses about the "importance of consumers being aware of ingredients so they can make informed decisions".
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