Subway to remove yoga mat chemical from its sandwiches after health  activists launched petition

  • Azodicarbonamide, a chemical found in  Subway’s bread is used to make shoe rubber and yoga mats
  • Vani Hari, blogger for FoodBabe.com said  the chemical was used as ‘a bleaching agent’ and that it wasn’t  natural
  • ‘The complete conversion to have this  product out of the bread will be done soon,’ Subway said in a statement,  without providing further details
  • Subway claimed that they already planned  to remove the chemical from the bread
  • Associated Press

PUBLISHED:  15:03 GMT, 6  February 2014

The announcement comes after a popular food  blogger launched a petition this week asking the sandwich chain to stop using  the ingredient, called azodicarbonamide. A representative for Subway says the  change was underway before the petition was launched, but did not immediately  provide details on when it started or when it would be complete.

‘The complete conversion to have this product  out of the bread will be done soon,’ Subway said in a statement, without  providing further details.

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Photo: Courtesy of Vani Hari
That yoga mat looks good enough to eat!: Subway removes  ‘bleaching’ chemical from its bread

Vani Hari, who runs FoodBabe.com, has  targeted other food companies including Kraft and Chick-fil-A for the chemicals  in their products.

Hari comments

I discovered that Subway makes bread with an ingredient called azodicarbonamide. It can be found in almost all the breads at Subway restaurants here in North America, but not in Europe, Australia or other parts of the world.

Azodicarbonamide is the same chemical used to make yoga mats, shoe soles, and other rubbery objects. It’s not supposed to be food or even eaten for that matter. And it’s definitely not “fresh”.

Subway is using this ingredient as a bleaching agent and dough conditioner which allows them to produce bread faster and cheaper without regard to the following health consequences and alarming facts:

  • The World Health Organization (1) has linked it to respiratory issues, allergies and asthma.
  • When a truck carrying azodicarbonamide overturned on a Chicago highway in 2001, it prompted city officials to issue the highest hazardous materials alert and evacuate people within a half mile radius! Many of the people on the scene complained of burning eyes and skin irritation as a result. (3)
  • The U.K. Health And Safety Executive has recognized azodicarbonamide as a potential cause of asthma. (4)
  • When azodicarbonamide is heated, there are studies that show it is linked to tumor development and cancer. (5)
  • Not only is this ingredient banned in Europe and Australia, but you also get fined 450,000 dollars if you get caught using it in Singapore and can serve 15 years in prison (2).

We deserve the same safer ingredients Subway serves in other countries

In the latest petition targeting Subway, Hari  noted that the azodicarbonamide used in its bread ‘as a bleaching agent’ is also  used to make yoga mats and shoe rubber. The petition noted that Subway doesn’t  use the ingredient in its breads in Europe, Australia or other parts of the  world.

Although the ingredient is used in other food  products, Hari said she focused on Subway because of the healthy image it tries  to project. Subway has endorsement deals with Olympic athletes.

‘This is not eating fresh!’ Hari’s petition  said.

On Tuesday, Subway’s Facebook page was filled  with comments regarding the chemical.

As Americans pay closer attention to what  they eat, food companies have worked to market their products as natural. But  companies have also come under growing pressure to remove chemicals people find  questionable. That pressure has been heightened by consumers’ ability to voice  and share their concerns online. Last year, for instance, PepsiCo said it would  remove an ingredient that had been linked to a flame retardant from its Gatorade  drinks.

PepsiCo also said its decision was not a  response to an online petition that had called for it to remove the  ingredient.

Subway, which is privately held, says it has  more than 41,000 locations worldwide. It is based in Milford, Conn.

Health activists beg Subway to stop using  chemicals in bread

Subway says it’s in the process of removing a  chemical from its bread as part of an ongoing effort to improve its  recipes?
Huh?
The chemical in Subway’s bread is also in yoga mats and  shoe rubber

Blog Editors note:

It would seem this is a United States problem only.

However their Chicken has tasted and looked like rubber for a long time!

Sources

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2552793/Subway-removes-chemical-bread-used-make-shoe-rubber.html#ixzz2shE4iMRB

http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/06/meet-the-food-babe-who-helped-convince-subway-to-remove-chemical-from-bread/

http://foodbabe.com/subway/