The “Eat Fresh” restaurant chain Subway is under fire for the ingredient content of their bread, including the plastic chemical, azodiacarbonamide. The addictive, which is banned in Europe and Australia but is legal in the US and Canada, has been linked to various respiratory illnesses, including asthma.
The chemical, found in yoga mats and shoe soles for elasticity, is found in the chain’s doughy sandwich bread and consumers are demanding its prompt removal. The issue was brought to light by blogger and food activist Vani Hari, who was first recognized for battling Kraft Foods for its yellow dye in three of their products, including kid favorite mac-n-cheese. Hari explained how the dye caused allergies, hyper-activity in children and migraine headaches.
A petition, titled “Subway: Stop Using Dangerous Chemicals In Your Bread launched this week against the sandwich maker. Although azodiacarbonamide is found in other foods, Hari targeted Subway especially because their healthy marketing tactics and appeal. The petition has garnered more than 50,000 signatures.
In a statement, Subway said the ingredient would be out of bread “soon.”
“We are already in the process of removing azodicarbonamide as part of our bread improvement efforts despite the fact that it is a USDA and FDA approved ingredient,” the statement read.