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If you go to Subway on a regular basis, you might want to start reconsidering your order.
According to the Irish Supreme Court, the bread used at Subway has too much sugar to be considered bread. That means that your favorite sandwich might be closer to dessert in terms of sugar content though Subway insists that their “bread is, of course, bread.”
Keep reading for the details.
According to the Irish Independent, "The Supreme Court has found that the bread in Subway's heated sandwiches has too much sugar in it to meet the legal definition of being bread."
NPR explains, "The country's Value-Added Tax Act of 1972 says tax-exempt bread can't have sugar, fat and bread improver exceed 2% of the weight of flour. In Subway's recipe, sugar makes up 10% of the weight of the flour, according to the judgment. That's five times what the law deems acceptable."
According to Irish law, this means that Subway bread is closer to a "confectionery or fancy baked goods" than actual bread.
The ruling states, "The resulting product falls outside the definition of 'bread' for the purposes of the Act."
Subway responded in a statement, "Subway's bread is, of course, bread. We have been baking fresh bread in our restaurants for more than three decades and our guests return each day for sandwiches made on bread that smells as good as it tastes."
However, this is not the first time Subway's bread recipe has been the subject of criticism.
According to CNN, in 2014, Subway got in trouble for using azodicarbonamide in some of their bread options. This chemical is "also found in yoga mats and shoe soles to add elasticity."
The sandwich chain has since removed the chemical, but it definitely did not help their business--and we're sure the "fancy baked good" status will not help things either. The chain has not yet announced any upcoming changes in their bread recipe to reduce the amount of sugar though.
