Prices Go Up For Key Pizza Ingredients During Pandemic

During the pandemic, people have been turning to comfort food, including pizza. Many pizza places have seen a boost in sales. One ingredient tops all others: pepperoni.

But some restaurants are having a tough time getting pepperoni, including Vitta Pizza in Duluth, Minnesota.

"We normally order it through the same vendor every time, and we can't get it through that vendor, so we've been having to do substitute pepperoni through different vendors,” said assistant manager Emily Rae.

The coronavirus pandemic forced many meat producers to shut down or scale back operations, leading to shortages and higher prices.

Now, many stores are shelling out extra dough for the popular topping, anywhere from 5% to 50% more.

The owner of Rocco's Pizzeria near Pittsburgh says pepperoni is not the only problem.

"Cheese is just a whole other ballpark, it's gone way up,” Rocco Pifferetti said.

Americans have been buying more cheese during the pandemic, helping drive up prices. It's hitting the bottom line at Pizza Pie Café, an Idaho pizza spot.

"For a box of cheese, it was regularly about 30 bucks and now we're paying $97 for just a box of cheese,” said general manager Katey Peterson.

Los Angeles-area pizza places are also paying more for mozzarella.

"Probably higher than I've ever seen it,” said Joseph Hogan, owner of Pie Life.

It's not clear when supplies and prices for cheese and pepperoni will return to normal. Some restaurants don't plan to pass the higher costs onto customers for now.

Prices for pizza ingredients can vary greatly by region.