(NAFB) – Pizza has repeatedly ranked in the top foods ordered at U.S. restaurants.

According to The NPD Group, in the quarter ending June 2021, there were 1.2 billion servings of pizza ordered, up four percent from the same quarter last year. Units of plant-based protein and ingredients shipped from foodservice distributors to pizza operators increased by 56 percent in the second quarter compared to a year ago, reports NPD. Research shows that about 20 percent of consumers want to increase the amount of plant-based proteins they consume, and this sentiment has held steady throughout the pandemic.

Pizzas enable chefs and operators to easily customize with plant-based ingredients beginning with cauliflower crusts. Shipments of cauliflower dough and crusts to pizza operators increased by 46 percent in the quarter ending June compared to the same quarter year ago.

Unit shipments of plant-based proteins to pizza operators, like Italian sausage, chicken, and imitation beef, grew by double-digits in the quarter.