Ireland's Supreme Court ruled this week that Subway sandwiches are more pastry than bread and, as such, are subject to an added tax of 13.5%. Ireland’s law stipulates that sugar and fat should not exceed 2% of the weight of flour in the bread dough. In Subway sandwiches, that weight hovers at 10%.
It’s not the first time Subway has had to defend its ingredients. In 2014, Subway removed the flour-whitening agent azodicarbonamide (ADA) from its bread after an online petition. The chemical is also used in yoga mats, flip-flops and 500 other items, including more than 130 brands of bread, stuffing, premade sandwiches and snacks.
In 2017, DNA testing of chicken sold at Subway restaurants in Canada revealed that two of the chain's popular grilled chicken sandwiches contained poultry that was only part meat. Researchers from Ontario's Trent University analyzed six grilled chicken sandwiches from fast food chains and while McDonald's, Wendy's and A&W all contained "very close" to 100% chicken, the Subway products fell woefully short.
The chain's oven roasted chicken tested as 53.6% chicken DNA, while strips of its sweet onion chicken teriyaki registered as 42.8% chicken DNA. Most of the chicken's non-meat DNA was soy. Subway's chicken tested so low that researchers at Trent University's DNA Laboratory analyzed an additional five samples of each product, which confirmed the original results.
Subway officials disputed the findings, saying their chicken “is 100% white meat with seasonings, marinated and delivered to our stores as a finished, cooked product.”
SOURCES:
Marketwatch Oct. 1, 2020