Subway: Stop Using Dangerous Chemicals In Your Bread

Hi, this is Vani Hari, creator of foodbabe.com.

Everyone from The First Lady Michelle Obama to the American Heart Association (AHA) to several Olympic athletes have endorsed Subway for their purportedly “fresh” and “nutritious” meals.

Unfortunately, not only have these people and organizations been duped, but millions of people across North America have been as well.

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.

I urge you to join me in asking Subway to remove azodicarbonamide from their products. Subway doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel. They can use the same recipes and ingredients they do across the globe.

Subway is the largest fast food company headquartered in the United States. If Subway changes their Bread, we know this could inspire other food companies across the US to finally eliminate this dangerous chemical once and for all.

North Americans deserve to truly eat fresh – not yoga mats.

Sources:

http://www.who.int/ipcs/publications/cicad/en/cicad16.pdf http://www.kat-chem.hu/en/prod-bulletins/azodikarbonamid Pandora’s LunchBox by Melanie Warner (pgs. 103 – 104) http://www.inchem.org/documents/cicads/cicads/cicad16.htm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21786817

Dear Head of Global Marketing Jeff Larson, and Director of Operations Joe Chaves, Subway azodicarbonamide is a chemical used “in the production of foamed plastics.” It’s used to make sneaker soles and yoga mats. It’s also used in almost all of your Subway sandwiches, is banned across the globe, and The World Health Organization has linked it to respiratory issues, allergies and asthma. Some studies show that when heated, azodicarbonamide turns into a carcinogen. We ask you to remove azodicarbonamide from all Subway sandwiches, and make your bread just like you do in other countries. We deserve the same safer food our friends get overseas. We want to really “eat fresh”, not yoga mat. Sincerely, [Your name]

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