Pizzeria Uno Agrees to Stop Low-Fat Claim for Thin Crust

WASHINGTON — Low-fat pizza?

Afraid not, the Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday as it announced that the Pizzeria Uno restaurant chain has agreed to stop advertising a line of thin-crust pizzas as “low fat.”

The FTC had charged such a claim was “false and misleading.”

In fact, it said, all six of the pizzas in the company’s “Thinzetta” line were over acceptable limits for low-fat claims, with some containing up to 36 grams of fat per serving.

“Millions of consumers are conscientious about the fat content of their food,” said Julie Bernstein, head of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Whether selecting low-fat foods at the grocery store or restaurant, consumers expect nutrient claims made for products to be true.”

Under the terms of a proposed consent agreement, Pizzeria Uno would be barred from misrepresenting the existence or amount of fat in any pizza or any baked-crust food product.

The commission will decide whether to make it final after a 60-day comment period.

The case marks the first time the federal consumer-protection agency has brought charges involving nutrition claims by a restaurant chain.

Pizzeria Uno operates four Southern California restaurants, including single locations in West Hollywood and Northridge and two in San Diego.

To resolve the allegations, West Roxbury, Mass.-based Uno signed an agreement pledging that it will not misrepresent fat content or other nutritional information about its pizzas. The settlement didn’t call for a fine or other monetary penalty.

Craig Miller, president and chief executive of parent Uno Restaurant Corp., said the FTC complaint involved a single direct-mail brochure and one television commercial that ran briefly in the Boston market. The pizzeria chain never meant to imply that all its thin-crust pizzas meet federal nutrition standards for low-fat foods, he said.