The countless commercials touting Subway’s new “Fritos Chicken Enchilada Melt” have gotten so ridiculous, I am about to lose my mind. A member of the Food Babe Army sent me leaked photos of the ingredient list of this highly processed sandwich. The full ingredient list is below – you don’t want to miss this.
I’ve been asked why I targeted Subway in my petition to remove azodicarbonamide from bread many times now. While I already knew this chemical is being used in restaurants and bakeries all across the country, I was fed up with the way Subway misleads its customers with their deceptive “Eat Fresh” advertising. Something needed to be done, especially since they completely ignored my investigation into their ingredients in 2012, further pressure in 2013, and repeated phone calls and requests to their corporate headquarters.
As taken from Subway’s website, “We’ve become the leading choice for people seeking quick, nutritious meals that the whole family can enjoy” – they truly want you to believe they serve health food and many people fall victim to this, thinking eating at Subway is better than eating at other fast food restaurants. Subway uses many marketing tactics to drive this point home and dupe the public – but the tactics that really bother me are their partnerships with olympic athletes, medical associations and our government leaders, because many people take their endorsements as credible and rely on them. Here’s what’s really happening:
The American Heart Association’s endorsement of Subway as “heart healthy” is a farce!
Subway was the first restaurant to get the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check Certification on some menu items – so Subway prominently displays this little Heart Association logo all over their marketing materials and commercials. This is so deceptive because the Heart Association’s stamp of approval ONLY applies to a handful of Subway sandwiches without any cheese or sauces. Who doesn’t get mayo, cheese or oil on their subway sandwich? Most Subway customers are not eating sandwiches without any cheese or sauces and many are not aware that the certification does not apply when they add those items. Furthermore, the Heart-Check seal only applies to salads served with fat-free sweet onion dressing – a dressing loaded with sugar and dimethylpolysiloxane. Apparently the American Heart Association thinks it is healthy to eat silly putty and breast implants. Dimethylpolysiloxane is allowed by the FDA to be preserved by several different chemicals that don’t have to be listed on the label – including toxic formaldehyde – oh is that how they keep it “fresh?”
This certification doesn’t come cheap either. An undisclosed annual administrative fee is required by the Heart Association, and Subway has contributed more than 1 million dollars to them in the last few years. Subway may soon find themselves in the same boat as Campbell’s who was sued last year for their deceptive use of the Heart Association’s certification label in exchange for money. Especially when you consider that Subway has been permitted to use this label on sandwiches that are packed with 800 mg. of sodium – well above what the Heart Association sodium intake recommendation allows per meal – and much more than what is used in Campbell’s soup.
Who is Doctor’s Associates, Inc.?
To continue portraying the image that Subway is endorsed by a team of health-conscious doctors, you may notice that “Doctors Associates, Inc.” appears on their menu, napkins and packaging. This is simply the name of the corporation that owns Subway Restaurants and is in no way associated with any medical organization. Instead of naming their corporation like other restaurants do (i.e. McDonalds Corporation, Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc.), they chose a name that implies they are a medical organization. How do they explain the reasoning behind this? According to their student guide:
“The name was chosen by Dr. Peter Buck and Fred DeLuca in 1966. Dr. Buck was a nuclear physicist by profession, and Fred had aspirations of attending medical school to become a doctor. So, the name Doctor’s Associates Inc. seemed to fit their situation”
First Lady Michelle Obama’s endorsement of Subway as a “healthy choice” for kids is saddening.
Our First Lady is now on the record stating that “Subway’s kids’ menu makes life easier for parents, because they know that no matter what their kids order, it’s going to be a healthy choice” and “Every single item meets the highest nutrition standards.” This came after a huge announcement that Subway is launching a $41 million dollar “Pile on the Veggies” advertising campaign targeted at kids using The Muppets, in cooperation with Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative. As part of their partnership, Subway is supposed to focus all their kid-focused marketing on the healthier options available in its restaurants.
That’s interesting – since Subway began this marketing campaign in February, the advertising for Subway’s new Frito Chicken Enchilada Melt has far surpassed the few Kermit and Ms. Piggy Ads played. Do Fritos count as veggies now? What do you think kids are going to ask their parents to eat next time they go to Subway after seeing a commercial like this or this or this?
Oh wait – I forgot. Fritos are healthy.
Fritos = Health Food?
It may look like Subway is deviating from their healthy image with their new Frito Chicken Enchilada Melt, but it turns out that Fritos has been trying to get accepted by the public as a health food for many years now. Frito-Lay’s partnership with Subway is just one in a long list of endeavors to make customers think their chips are healthy.
This is ridiculous, right?
Back in 2007, Frito Lay notified the FDA that they were going to label their chips with “heart healthy” marketing claims and the FDA approved it. More recently, Candice Choi of the Associated Press exposed a newsletter from Frito-Lay to dieticians advocating Fritos as a good option for a gluten-free diet, which provided suggestions that their chips replace traditional breadcrumbs in recipes.
This was preceded by her reporting on Frito-Lay’s sponsorship of Registered Dietician training conferences in which they advise and teach dietitians on health trends and nutrition education. Registered dieticians are the people that are supposed to be telling us what is healthy to eat – and they are being told that Fritos are a health food! Frito-Lay even created an entire website dedicated to nutritionists called “SnackSense.com,” where they further attempt to convince health professionals that chips are healthy. Here, they tell dietitians that “There is no ‘junk’ in Fritos Original corn chips” and that they fit into a “healthier lifestyle”.
This is just another example of the food industry leading the conversation in this country about food and nutrition – and it’s really got to stop. Fortunately, last year, a group of dietitians formed Dietitians For Professional Integrity, which advocates for an end to the ties between Big Food and registered dietitians. This new group is working to share the truth that Fritos are made from GMO corn and are deep fried in corn oil (likely extracted using a very carcinogenic gas called “hexane”), which is very inflammatory.
So, what’s Subway got to say about their new sandwich with Fritos?
A member of the Food Babe Army shared the secret highly processed ingredients in the new Frito Chicken Enchilada Melt with me recently. This ingredient list is not available on the master list of ingredients Subway posts online – everyone needs to know what’s hiding in this new sandwich!
Here’s how Subway describes this sandwich:
“There’s never been another sub like it! Crunch into a pile of Fritos placed right on top of tender pulled chicken and authentic enchilada sauce for a new satisfyingly delicious bite of flavor you can’t find anywhere else!”
GIVE ME A BREAK – This is what they left out:
“There’s never been another sub like it…”
Although I’ll never sink my teeth into one of these – food bloggers are calling it a stale “Double Decker Taco” and a soggy “Taco Bell Gordita”.
“….a pile of Fritos…”
Yes, GMOs are piled high on this sandwich. The standard is to put 2 ounces of Fritos on a foot long, but there have been reports that up to two full bags of Fritos are dumped, which looks like “the bottom of a garbage can”. TWO BAGS!!!?! The ONLY ingredients in Fritos are GMOs (corn, corn oil) and salt. Frito-Lay’s parent company (PepsiCo) spent more money than any other corporation (over 4 million dollars) to fight GMO labeling initiatives in California and Washington. They have a lot of GMOs in their food and don’t want to label it – even though 90% of customers have indicated that they want GMO’s to be labeled. It doesn’t fit in with the “Fritos are healthy and natural” mantra that they want you to believe. And remember GMOs are not natural – they are made in a laboratory, increasing the use of toxic herbicides that are causing cancer and have unknown long term health impacts.
“…tender pulled chicken…”
This factory farm, antibiotic raised chicken is trucked in frozen and pre-shredded. It’s also laced with the preservative sodium benzoate, which becomes a carcinogen when combined with ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Ascorbic acid is an ingredient in Subway’s Flatbread and added to many soft drinks – so there is a strong possibility that this cancer-causing combo will end up in your mouth.
“…authentic enchilada sauce…”
Last time I checked, authentic enchilada sauce was made with a few simple ingredients – tomatoes, chiles, oil, spices. However, Subway’s enchilada sauce is comprised of an astonishing 45 ingredients – including hidden MSG in the form of yeast extract along with MSG enhancers (disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate). I’ve never heard of an authentic enchilada sauce needing “Polysorbate 60.” According to the “Journal of National Cancer Institute,” the “Journal of Nutrition” and the FAO Nutrition Meetings Report Series, polysorbate 60 can cause detrimental reproductive effects, organ toxicity and cancer in high doses.
What else goes into the Fritos Chicken Enchilada Melt?
- Soybean oil – A cheap GMO oil that causes harmful inflammation in your body and is a major ingredient at Subway. It’s in their bread – including the flatbread – and you’ll find it in the Chipotle Southwest Sauce that is squirted onto this sandwich.
- Artificial colors – Derived from petroleum, they may contain carcinogens and are linked to hyperactivity in children.
- High Fructose Corn Syrup – A cheap sugar substitute that increases appetite, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and dementia. It is also can be contaminated with mercury.
- Sugar (and a lot of it) – Since the ingredient label doesn’t say “cane sugar” it’s a safe bet that its derived from GMO sugar beets – as is the majority of sugar in the U.S. This type of sugar has no nutritional value, helps you pack on the pounds, and promotes inflammation – so it’s best to eliminate it as much as possible from your diet. I found sugar added to the bread, the chicken, the enchilada sauce, and the chipotle southwest sauce – too much for a “healthy sandwich.”
- Cellulose – Do you really want to eat wood?
- Autolyzed yeast extract combined with disodium inosinate/guanylate – A super-sneaky additive that is really MSG in one of its hidden forms.
- Polysorbate 60 (again in the Southwest Chipotle Sauce) – An emulsifier that may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane – a known carcinogen.
- Propylene Glycol – Also known as the key component in anti-freeze.
- Calcium Disodium EDTA – This preservative is made from formaldehyde, sodium cyanide, and ethylenediamine – sounds like fresh food, doesn’t it?
- Natural Flavors – This ingredient seems so innocent, but it’s often not!
Check out the FULL LIST of over 170 ingredients here:
Thankfully, one thing this sandwich doesn’t have is the yoga mat chemical “azodicarbonamide.” A month has passed, since Subway announced that they will remove azodicarbonamide from their bread – but 93,000 people who signed this petition demanding this change have still not gotten a timeline or direct response from Subway headquarters. I called again today and asked customer service for an update. The answer is still that it will be changed in “coming weeks.” I’d love to know what they are going to replace azodicarbonamide with and if we are finally going to be able to “eat fresh.” Unfortunately, looking at all the other ingredients Subway uses in other menu items, I don’t think we have any hopes of eating fresh anytime soon. They clearly have a lot more work to do!
Please note, until they make this change, If you are still eating at Subway and ordering any other subway roll other than the flat bread – you are still eating yoga mat that is a possible carcinogen, linked to asthma, allergies and skin issues and banned all over the globe.
Join our cause to keep the pressure on Subway to make this change as fast as possible HERE and spread the word about their deceptive marketing practices (and this crazy ingredient list) with your friends and family by sharing this post – everyone needs to know what’s in their food!
Much Love,
Vani
This great grandpa is mightily impressed with you and your energy Food Babe! Keep up the good work. It is important.
Food Babe – Since Michelle Obama is backing Subway, have you tried meeting with her to discuss these issues? Just curious if she’s truly concerned about the public’s health or does it always just resort back to money?
Of course she’s on the money so is her husband. Remember Obama promised immediate GMO labeling during his 2007 election campaign? He subsequently planted Michael Taylor, former Monsanto VP to head FDA to approve genetically modified crops (and soon GMO salmon!) What a crook!
🙁 http://www.globalresearch.ca/monsanto-protection-act-signed-by-obama-gmo-bill-written-by-monsanto-signed-into-law/5329388
There is great information in this article… however, I am not really surprised. Anything processed or prepared is going to have horrible chemicals in it. The FDA is a joke and all the laws protecting these big money companies is going to drive up our medical bills and destroy our food system! I am so frustrated with America and our food system right now!
You are doing an awesome job! You go girl! Keep fighting for us! Restaurants should be ashamed of what they do. … and when I see “FDA approved” I am NOT impressed at all! They should be ashamed as well!
Thank you, Vani!
Thank you food babe for being a light in darkness. I am tired of big companies not being honest with what is in their foods. I am so grateful for the food babe for keeping the consumer educated on what horrible things are in our food and then we can decide if we want to eat them.
Keep chasing the food industry…way to go.
Vani,
There are actually more ingredients that should be marked red than you have. I am a nutritionist and there is so much wrong with our food today.
Elaine, I am a nutritionist as well. If Vani can get the red ingredients out, we are getting very close….sometimes it takes baby steps. She/we should attack every company as she has subway. People will slowly become aware…it will not be an overnight revolution, though, “a storming of the Bastille” like movement is definitely in order……..
Thank you for educating the public……we need more people like you!
Hi! I love the investigative research that you do. It’s so important for people to know that you can’t trust a company’s slogan. There is nothing fresh about Subway. Their meets are scary to look at. I’ll admit that a while ago I would eat there and just get cheese and a lot of veggies, but I knew it still wasn’t a good option. I’ve worked with several nutritionists and I am very grateful for their knowledge and advice. I learned a lot from them, but most people can’t afford to use one- I barely could but had health issues. In any case, thanks for your work and dedication.
have you thought about sending your information to schools for their health classes? Those in impoverished areas are at a greater risk of poor eating habits, though obesity,as you know, affects people across socioeconomic lines, gender, race etc.
good luck with your future projects
laur
wow….
I dont really know what to say other than america needs to wake up, we have been lied for to long. America is like a line delusional puppets, we are shown a new food, told its good, and like the loyal and ignorant consumer we are we buy and eat it.
thank you so much for educating yourself and us Vani america needs it.
Vani.
Is there a way to get in Michelle Obama’s face to ask her what she was/is thinking?
Any suggestions?
Have you tired to talk with her?
you are AMAZING!
thank you,
Nancy
Ascorbic acid is Vitamin C. What’s wrong with that?
http://www.ascorbicacid.net/
First, I’d like to thank you, Vani, for the great work you’re doing by informing us about what is being smuggled into our food.
Regarding the American Heart Association, they, like many other so-called ‘non-profits’ of the ‘health’ industry, have a vested interest in the diseases they allegedly oppose. If heart disease went away, so would the AHA; and for a pretty hefty payoff, they give approval to companies that fit certain criteria, like Cheerios and their GMOs.
Speaking of which, Michelle Obama, for all her talk about eating healthy, has been silent about GMO labelling as her husband who abandoned his pre-election promise and turned out to be another industry shill.
And wasn’t it Frito Lay that tried to bring Olestra into the food supply?
I can’t begin to thank you for all your time and hard work. You are an inspiration to us all to question EVERYTHING we put into our bodies. I have been enlightened and unfortunately discouraged that we as consumers can be so duped. Keep up the awesome work and thank you for sharing.
You lose all credibility , when you say when you are eating Subway you are eating yoga mats.
Also, when I eat at Subway I usually do make healthy choices. Such as not putting mayo and cheese on my sub.
By offering indulgent choices at Subway, it is up to each individual consumer to decide how to eat on that particular day.
By condemning Subway for there offerings you mind as we’ll tell people to lock themselves in their house and live on bottled water.
The problem is not choice Steve. It’s mass poisoning through the chemicals allowed in our food. NO ONE is studying the cumulative effect of all ingredients allowed for use in our food – however chains like Subway continue to feed them to us – how many more people have to get sick, live a low quality life and die before we all wake up?!
Mass poisoning? We are living longer than ever! You are trying to limit available choice.
I do so agree with you on so many aspects. You are doing a fantastic job. The public needs to be educated as to what we are putting into out bodies and the long term effects. I am a retired teacher and spend some time watching daytime tv. The cooking shows are often appalling . I was watching a show that was promoting healthy breakfasts: Sugared waffles, canned fruit, with greek yoghurt. Oh yea that,s really healthy!
People do not realize that the food they eat, white potatoes, white breads, dairy, sugared products, meats…… they all cause inflamation in the body. We need to make people aware of the foods that heal and that contain micronutrients. The food industry has gone too far! Thank you Food Babe.
To Ted: Are we living longer… or taking longer to die. We do live longer thanks to eradicating bacterial and viral diseases but we are suffering more from autoimmune, cancer, heart and mysterious diseases.
To Confused: Ascorbic acid is derived from GMO corn… they don’t tell you that!
To Steve: You don’t have informed choices when most of your “healthy” choices contain carcinogenic ingredients and GMO’s… wake up!
To Ted: We are living longer, true, but are we health? Not according to the ever-increasing medical costs in this country. And we all, including the healthy ones, have to chip in for those who eat mindlessly. So many live to eat, and way too much, instead of eating to live.
I am an optimist. I choose to live my life with the belief that we are living longer rather than taking longer to die. The author Greg Illes from my area wrote “live each day like it may be your last because one day you are sure to be right.” Why live those days worried about every little thing? The odds of me dying from what I eat are miniscule compared to the act of driving to the grocery store. I firmly believe, based on sound science, that if one eats in moderation from all the food groups and regardless of production method (GMO/non-organic is fine), doesn’t smoke, drink or use illegal drugs in excess, exercises and has a positive outlook, odds are pretty good that one will live a long and healthy life. Statistics are on my side.
Ted is a GMO farmer so u will not change his closed mind. He wants to ignore that people r sicker then ever before. Kids r sicker then ever before with things that use to be only with adult age or not be at all. Americans have the most health insurance in the world and we r the sickest in the world. With the amount of Round up in the GMO foods how can someone stay healthy when they r being poisoned everyday many times a day from the food they eat that contains GMO ingredients. You can not eat a little rat poison a day and you not get sick and die from it. Ted will not change any bodies mind that is on this site or any one else that is for eating GMO poison.
There are many people who eat rat poison every day to stay alive Tete. Its called coumadin (warfarin is the technical name), a blood thinner for people who have had heart issues among other things. Works quite well from what I’m told. You should get your facts straight as people with heart problems are living longer and healthier precisely by taking a little rat poison every day. Dose makes the poison Tete. You can spin things all you want and distort facts as much as you want but facts are facts and what I’m saying about GMO and non organic is the truth. They no less safe than organic. Surely you know organic farmers use several of the same pesticides I use to kill insects.
I do appreciate the work you do and the Foodbabe army… I want to tag on to Nancy Riege’s comment regarding helping first lady, Michelle Obama, get on board with what is happening…not only with Subway but the need to keep the integrity of our organic food industry… I tend to think she would be open to this…
Keep up the excellent work! I’m 100% with you! It is so sad that the food companies care for the money, not our health! I’m so disgusted with their false statement and it should be more regulated!
Thanks for all you do!
Marielle
Thanks Food Babe for all of your hard work and keeping us all informed with the most up to date “issues”. I find is utterly amazing that Ms. Obama is promoting this “food”, if you can call it food as healthy and that is a healthy choice. Does she have a degree in nutrition? Who is giving her the “facts”? My guess in the big food industry and yes Jasmin, it’s all about the money.
Wow! I’m really impressed with your research. I want to see and read more. Recipes for vegetarians please?
Yes, more recipes for (soy free) vegetarians please!!! Vani, you’re amazing and wonderful! I believe President Obama will change with enough public pressure. That means all of us, not just Vani alone. Call your government whether you believe they’re listening or not, they are required to put your comments on record. We should open up a new healthy (for real) sandwich shop. I think it would have to be a commercial one(sadly, not locally owned), would have to become more or equally popular to Subway, McD, etc. If a commercial real healthy food place could lead by example- since Subway isn’t doing it (yet), I think that could potentially start the chain reaction and demand that others join the real healthy food movement. Like Panera donates its bread, it could have “rules” to the commercial restaurant, like must use certified organic farmers market produce when in season… or something along those lines.
Rachel…..Sounds like the impossible dream. If a commercial “healthy” fast food establishment were to start up, would it even survive??? How would they be able to keep fresh produce and home made breads without all junk additives in the kitchen on a daily basis, and would have to throw out everything that continues to spoil because of the non-existence of preservatives and short shelf life? Businesses would never be able to stay in business. Way too expensive and great losses occur when the volume of sales would depend on people paying more for their fast food???? Catch 22. Solution…..We have to stay close to our own refrigerators and private kitchens. Eating out should only be the rare exception and not the rule for feeding our bodies healthy foods for life. Our bodies have magnificient abilities to cope with the toxins and heavy metals we absorb on on daily basis from our environment. So, it’s only once in awhile we would get to splurge and eat out without worrying what the heck is in our food supply.
While I knew Subway was still “fast food”, I’m absolutely horrified at the ingredient list for the Frito sandwich! I’m also absolutely appalled at what food companies are allowed to sell as “food” in America!!
Vani, have you heard of the Buycott app for iphone and Android?
Vani…
Good work and, you probably already know this through Alex’s site but, we are all driving up a steep hill in this fight because the FDA’s least interest is our personal health.
They, along with many other arms of the federal government are following the U.N.’s (a globalist tool, always has been) of Agenda 21, EUGENICS!, to slow kill the population. This is why other countries that are NOT aligned with the global empire, ban these ingredients.
Keep up the good work, you are putting a dent in the evil empire, at least slowing them down.
Dave.
I have eaten at subway for many years 3 times a week. I believe it’s a non caring hateful jealous culture that deliberately tries to do harm. I will never stop sharing my thoughts and feelings to anyone that will listen. They continue with their arrogance and hateful disrespect for Americans.
You sure will have a fight on your hands. I admire you and stand behind you for all you do!
I thought the FDA was there to protect the publics health & not be there to play politics with their ;jobs.
Wonder if they eat any subway foods.
Ive been eating there almost every day having their foot long chicken teriraciy sandwich with honey oat bread & most of their veggies
Am I playing Russian roulette with my health?
I think you have a lot of research to do. I’m definitely not taking sides but I don’t think you should either, if you don’t have the full story. I’m strictly referring to your argument on Frito Lays and GMO corn.
Anyone with common sense can see that this sandwich (and several other sandwiches) sold at Subway are not healthy, not really a tough argument to fight for, especially with the audience of your readers. Where you lose me is when you start making arguments against GMO foods, which I think you need to redefine. There are several forms of genetically modified foods, not all necessarily bad.
Tell me where anyone can easily find non-GMO corn, and I’ll let you win this. Hardly will you find any fresh fruits or vegetables that are non GMO. The big problem with fruits is the use of pesticides (which I’m sure you know), not necessarily genetically engineered fruits and vegetables. A lot of this process involves the mating of favorable forms of fruits and vegetables, in this case, corn. Genetic engineering of fruits and vegetables can sometimes be beneficial, like seedless naval oranges and grapes.
2. The debate on GMO’s being bad for health is still ongoing. If you’ve done your research, you would know that not one side is winning, or even close to it. There has been no strong evidence for GMO foods having negative impacts on human health. So the fact that you are arguing against GMO foods (in the health aspect) is not scientifically sound. Even if GMO foods have already been banned in other countries (for health reasons), those decisions were made prematurely.
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies show how genetically modified (GM) food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long-term problems. Genes inserted into GM soy, for example, can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside us, and that the toxic insecticide produced by GM corn was found in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn fetuses.
Numerous health problems increased after GMOs were introduced in 1996. The percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% in just 9 years; food allergies skyrocketed, and disorders such as autism, reproductive disorders, digestive problems, and others are on the rise. Although there is not sufficient research to confirm that GMOs are a contributing factor, doctors groups such as the AAEM tell us not to wait before we start protecting ourselves, and especially our children who are most at risk.
The American Public Health Association and American Nurses Association are among many medical groups that condemn the use of GM bovine growth hormone, because the milk from treated cows has more of the hormone IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1)―which is linked to cancer.
Also I recommend Genetic Roulette, both the book and film
Kat,
While you apparently believe that Vani does not have facts on GMO foods I would suggest that you, for reasons known only to yourself, are very biased in favor of genetic modification of foods. I wonder if you are a scientist? It would seen that it will have to be personal choice for each individual and their families. I choose to eat organically and not take the chance with altered foods – you can choose to seek out GMO foods for yourself. We have the freedom to do that for the time being in America.
You are confusing cross-breeding techniques (pollination/grafting/selective breeding) with genetic engineering.
Bingo. So many people are misinformed on what GMO’s actually are. Scary really.
Kat…
Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. The AAEM asked physicians to advise patients to avoid GM foods.
One French lab has tested GMO corn on rats and in one culture, caused large tumors (this is on record). Imagine what your “test” will reveal in a very few short years on humans. Why take the risk?.
That test also only took a few months and the tumors where huge and they fed them GMO corn and round up in the same amount that we would eat and Monsanto was furious about this study. There r not tests on humans and they still are able to put it in our food but every drug has to be tested for 7 yrs. before they can come out on the market. There has been a doubling of food allergies in this country since 1996. GMO? YESSSSSSSSSS
It is also on record that this French study on GMO’s was widely rejected by scientist peers for many reasons.
To Tete and Ted…. then, I suggest you both keep eating foods rich in GMO’s. and you both can be our test subjects.
Tete ain’t eatin GMO. I have been handling the seed, the Roundup and eating the finished products for 18 years and I feel really good. My latest physical (in December), complete with blood work, shows that I should feel good.
Ted, this is a repeat for you, and for others to be aware of…
The rat study by Professor Seralini was retracted from the journal which published it — after it had been published and had gone through the peer review process. The reason the study was retracted was that it was “inconclusive” which is not a valid reason for publication retraction. Many scientists have condemned the retraction of this paper. Here’s a link to an article “150 scientists condemn retraction of Séralini study as bow to commercial interests”: http://www.endsciencecensorship.org/en/page/press-release#.UxYRyPl_uSp
To Ted.
You could also be a Monsanto representative, spreading your propaganda…again, keep eating whatever you like, it’s your perogative. I choose to walk on the “inside” of the path next to the cliff.
Find more information about what really happened with this study (the Seralini long term rat study of GMO corn): http://www.gmoseralini.org/en/
Ted will say this site is “biased” or has an agenda or something like that, when it actually provides more in depth information and facts beyond sound bites.
To Jenna;
Yes, the retraction is very suspicious and could have been the result of a pay off or even a threat of some kind. That’s the kind of world we live in now.
You can bet that mega corporations like Monsanto, Bayer, Dow and the others will go to any cost to protect their globalist inspired evils protected. The time is now to say NO and stand firm.
No Dave, I’m not a Monsanto rep. I am a farmer who thinks it’s important for you to know that you won’t die or get sick from the foods I produce unless you just eat too much of it and get really obese or if it’s mishandled. The food industry is definitely not trying to kill any of it’s consumers. That would be very bad for business. I think the only businessman who thrived by doing that was Dr. Kevorkian.
I’m not going to get into a dualing website thing with you again. If Serralini’s work will stand up then he should have no problem replicating the results using the proper scientific procedures and correcting the criticisms noted. I don’t think he’s done that yet, has he? Let’s revisit precautionary principle. That is a term adopted by the EU at some point, is it not? The EU just approved the planting of GMO crops on the European continent. I guess there was enough evidence that the precautionary principle didn’t apply any more? I put a question mark because I don’t know the answer to that and maybe you can shed some light on it.
He hasn’t done it yet because it was the first peer reviewed, long term study of GMO corn. It took two years just for the study itself, not to mention the preparation, and other aspects of the research process. It won’t happen next week. That will be great if he or someone replicates the study (with possible modifications)…Hopefully they can have access again to GM corn – I’ve read that the industry prevents or makes it difficult for scientists to get GM products to study.
But again, there weren’t criticisms with the study as it went through the peer review process, just minor revisions – this is where issues should be pointed out and they weren’t. It was only after the study was published and created an UPROAR that criticisms were brought up. Again, “inconclusiveness” isn’t an acceptable reason for publication retraction according to COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics). The editor of the publication who retracted the study said that two of the issues were the number of rats, but “compared with industry tests on GM foods, Séralini’s study analyzed the same number of rats but over a longer period (two years instead of 90 days), measured more effects more often, and was uniquely able to distinguish the effects of the GM food from the pesticide it is grown with.” And also a problem with the strain of rats (Sprague- Dawley rats – what a name) but “Séralini used the same strain of rat that Monsanto used in its 90-day studies on GM foods and its long-term studies on glyphosate” (from the site linked above). “The self-correcting nature of science can only work when industry does not taint the process.” Oh and apparently another issue was the ethical treatment of the poor rats.
Also, the issue is simply the unprofessional unwarranted retraction of this published study. Why does he have to redo it? http://www.gmoseralini.org/seralini-retraction-is-black-mark-on-scientific-publishing-georgetown-professors/
In spite of most people in Europe not wanting GMO crops there, the EU apparently has allowed one type of corn to be grown (the worm-free type, but not Monsanto’s, they are allowing DuPont’s insecticidal corn as it’s called). But there is a firestorm, so we will see what happens with that. I don’t know if the EU actually utilizes the idea of the precautionary principle. Maybe they just happen to be more precautionary. I like this understanding of it “caution practiced in the context of uncertainty” or likening it to “first do no harm.” That is a good thing, don’t you think?
Who’s paying you to make an argument standing up for GMO’s?
Quote: ” Hardly will you find any fresh fruits or vegetables that are non GMO. ”
Kat, like someone else said you apparently aren’t aware of the difference between hybridization and genetic engineering. The only fruit that is GMO is hawaiian pineapple (though that is likely going away), and for veggies a variety of zucchini and some sweet corn. The are working on a GMO apple, but it isn’t on the market yet. The main GMO crops are corn and soy, and that means all derivatives (eg. oils and food additives) along with canola and cottonseed. You’ve posted inaccurate info about what GMOs actually are, and also inaccurate info about the safety of them. There haven’t been independent long term studies showing the safety of GMOs, despite some sound bites you may have picked up on. Pesticides on fruits is a problem, but one of the big problems with GMO “technology” (as it’s called) is the use of a heavy dousing of herbicides, such the weed killer Roundup. Roundup Ready corn and soy is the actual name of the these biotech seed products. If you’re concerned about pesticides on fruit, how do you feel about residues of Roundup (glyphosate) on your food?
CORRECTION: that should be hawaiian PAPAYA that is GMO, not pineapple!
@kat I agree with your statement: “There has been no strong evidence for GMO foods having negative impacts on human health. So the fact that you are arguing against GMO foods (in the health aspect) is not scientifically sound.” People need to understand that it takes randomized controlled trials on humans to prove anything. The testing on animals can point us to additional hypotheses but it does not prove anything in humans. Also correlation does not equal causation. Therefore observational studies also don’t prove anything. I’m completely support the labeling of GMO’s. We should not be saying that GMO’s are bad for human health however because that has not been proven. (Someone link a study if you have one) Food Babe often says only that they haven’t been studied enough.
Well then we shouldn’t be saying that GMOs are safe if we don’t have randomized controlled trials on humans to “prove” this. They (both biotech companies and the FDA) shouldn’t be saying GMOs are “substantially equivalent” and do not require safety testing. They do 90 day feeding trials on rats and that is supposed to indicate they are fine for human health. There are studies indicating health concerns with GMOs, but the FDA seems to only be interested in biotech-funded 90 day trials (that’s not long term). It’s not scientifically sound to say GMOs are safe and food with GMOs ingredients is healthy.
@Jenna “we shouldn’t be saying that GMOs are safe if we don’t have randomized controlled trials on humans to “prove” this.”
I completely agree.
Yet another win for the good guys
The worst part of the new concoction is that dang song getting stuck in my head!
If you can find time, could do an article about the recent Trader Joe’s Natural Claim Lawsuit?
Steve – good call. With everything going on with Subway… I’ve lost track of other major issues like this. This is very interesting.
Not very often do I get scared…But the Exorcist the movie scared me…this very informative article scares me more.
Here I am in South Florida, Fighting Obesity…1 Family At A Time, teaching kids, daily about healthy eating. Following the guidelines of the Let’s Move Program for years. Still I research every day what we consume and what we feed our kids. Again, Scary!
So I will continue to read and hope and pray that the information from the Food Babe is reliable, as Short Chef on my facebook page, I now often reference your findings.
Thank you Food Babe!
Short Chef
The way you boil down the critical points and highlight the ingredients of concern in red is so informative and helpful. A job well done! Thank you!!!
Brilliant article. The food system in the West is seriously flawed. You eat, you get sick, you take drugs to relieve symptoms but not correct your damaged, malnourished body. “Eat Fresh” my eye. The ingredients in Starbucks “healthy” protein tray is enough to scare Dracula. Perhaps this is another chain to consider exposing.
Spectacular article. I read it in it’s entirety to my wife. Yes all of it, and she still loves me. Keep this up. If it is too late for some of us it doesn’t take away from the praise that you and others deserve for the lives you save. Thank you so much. David.
My friends are into Herbalife, do you have any thoughts on this?
So can anyone tell me what ingredients are in their falafel flatbread sammie, another item they are touting as healthy vegetarian? I shared the “healthy enchilada” post with some friends who swear by Subway and who love the falafel flatbread. I can’t find a detailed breakdown of the ingredients anywhere.
What has been done to our food is so scary. I can only think that the companies that create all this so called food can make a lot of money using products that are not food and hence dangerous to us if we eat them. I can not imagine any other reason for all the non-food ingredients. I never eat fast food, and I am careful at the grocery store and if I eat out. It is exhausting just to shop and read every label every time, because they change their ingredients so often, I can never be sure of any
food, which is sad and scary. Thanxs food babe, if everyone stays away from the fake food companies, they will go out of business as they should. Often voting with how you spend your money is the fastest way to get change!
First of all I want to say your doing a great job, but the one’s like subway and all the other ones you expose are not the ones to go after all those companies are like for example the local drug dealers, they will still operate and keep selling drug without fear because they have local protection, but when you expose the big dealers they have no choice but to cease operating, so if you go after the big boys like the FDA and all the ones who allow them to do so and use the media then the FDA and all other Government agencies will have to make changes because they’ve been exposed, if you keep poking at Subway and other’s then no progress will ever be made.
great article, so many people forget what wholesome food is supposed to be, where to get it, and how easy it is to prepare.
No one who orders a Frito Chicken Enchilada Melt is looking for health food. Good job getting rid of the bad chemicals in the bread, but every chain restaurant will come up with crazy things in order to attract new customers. It doesn’t mean you can’t find a decent sandwich at Subway, it just means you need to use your brain.
You are awesome and hilarious too! Thank you for all your work! Great info as usual
WHY do people think CORN is GLUTEN FREE???
Heather,
Non-GMO corn is gluten free because it has no gluten in it but if it is GMO then it could have gluten in it depending what they have put in it in the lab. I only buy non-GMO corn or no corn at all. My whole family is gluten free.
There is gluten in corn although different than wheat gluten. It is gluten. GMO corn makes me itch horribly. Organic corn doesn’t. I think people get their GMO sensitivity misdiagnosed for gluten sensitivity.
Heather,
I looked up what u r talking about and u r right about the gluten but it being not the same gluten as wheat. U get itchy from eating non organic corn because of the GMO and if the corn was not protected from cross contamination with gluten while it was being processed and prepared is it too. I found that in an article. We do the same as u and only by organic corn. I use to get itchy to when I ate certain foods so I did the liver/gallbladder cleanse and that went away. I will not feel good if I eat something I normally would not but no itching. That is a indication of your liver being to full of stones. It made a huge diff. in my food sensitivity but I still do not eat any wheat, barley or rye, dairy, non organic corn and only have that once in a while and nothing with anything in it that is not real and created by our creator. U can google and the liver cleanse or get the book liver gallbladder cleanse. The cleanse only cost about $10 and it can keep u from having your gallbladder taken out because it will get the stones out and will save it. Your liver can hold up to 20,000 stones the size of a pea. We have done the cleanse for years and you will be amazed at all the stones that come out. Email if u want more info. on it and want to do it. Thanks for the note on the corn. I learned something new! Tete
Well, about 15 years to late for my gallbladder. / : not sure how to email you without making my address public?? I have done cleanses that were both invigorating and even spiritually enlightening! I’d love to know what it is ( :
Heather,
It is okay that u do not have your gallbladder. The cleanse will flush out the stones in your liver which is the most important thing because most diseases and problems come from our liver. When u get a lot of stones in the liver it can not do it’s job properly. It can be 60 percent full and still work “okay” and not relieve it. Just like the gallbladder when it gets full of stones it can not work and so the same with the liver. Doctors do not realize that your liver develops stones. At Johns Hopkins University they now it and have write ups about it. You can go to http://www.drclark.net or u can get her book The Prevention of all Cancers by Dr. Hulda Clark and it has the parasite cleanse to do before the liver cleanse. She is an amazing woman. All u need to know is in that book. Hope this helps.
I’ll check it out, thanks!
Thank you again, FoodBabe!
My sister once said to me, “You’re a nice person, but when it comes to food, you’re a sleaze.” And she was right!
FoodBabe, I know that you aren’t a priest, but I have to confess the following: I used to eat a whole box of Little Debbie cakes at a time! I was so terrible, sinful! But, I started to “go organic” in 2001 because I was dying.
(It’s Ash Wednesday, so I had to confess something…. )
Well, even before my conversion to real food, I noticed that in the late 1990s there was something wrong — very wrong — with fast food. Even during my fast food years of perdition, I found something very odd with Subway’s food. Sure, it seemed to taste OK, but my energy seemed to evaporate after consumption. So, I stopped going to Subway
Glad to see my subjective experience validated.
RoundUp is being sprayed via airplanes on the soybean fields in Peru. Kids who take a shortcut through the soybean fields on the way to school are losing the pigment in their skin up to their knees. Those children who “go the long way” do not.
I did my own RoundUp test. I took the Ready -to-use product and acted like it was a concentrate; I put about 1 cup of RoundUp in a 5 gallon sprinkling can (filled with water) and applied it on some weeds. It took about three weeks to kill the weeds, but it did kill them. My point is that food plants sprayed with RoundUp is not something I should want to eat. Since country of origin is not specified on any soy products I have chosen not to eat soy.
Julie, Roundup is not just used in Peru and not just on soy. There are several ‘Roundup Ready’ GMO crops – soy, corn, canola and cottonseed, sugar beets and all derivatives. Meaning that you can find Roundup residues on most processed foods in things like soybean, canola or corn oil, or corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, or soy sauce and many other deriatives in food additives. The US is a big GMO producer, so unless you’re buying organic corn chips, for example, they are GMO and have residues of Roundup.
Thank you. I know all of that. I was trying to give very specific, visual, and easily verifiable info to the reader. I am concerned that “broad brush speak” (GMO) doesn’t hit home enough.
Hi Food Babe!
I love your work. I really appreciate you doing this. It’s so important for humanity.
Thank you for helping me understand better about the ingredients and doing such an amazing work to educate people about their food. Thank you!
I’m working on a similar project but focusing more on the ingredients of household products, mostly cleaning products. I’m also launching my first product to be able to offer an alternative solution for people that are looking for one.
And your work inspires me so much to continue with my own mission.
Thank you
Chris
Hello,
I Would Like To Say Try Not To Get So Personal About A Subject, Some People Are Not Educated On Certain Subjects, When You Know Better You Do Better, That’s Why I LOVE This Site.
Great work Food Babe! So disgusting how they mislead people who truly believe this is ‘healthy’. Ugh. Yuck. Garbage. Can’t believe my husband and I actually used to eat there.
Thanks for all your info and all you are doing to inform us. We are new to eating healthy and these articles are eye opening.
Have a safe and pleasant trip to LA
Thank you so much for fighting the good fight Vani. I am trying to wake up family and friends, but it is very hard. You make it much easier for me, thank you. Much blessings and love to you and your family.
Joe
When I wrote Subway asking if they had removed the chemical from their bread I received an email explaining their goals to have it removed by 2015 and that the FDA approves it as safe. I replied, I do not trust the FDA to know what is safe. Just because they say so, does note mean it is acceptable. NO Chemicals is acceptable.
I did not hear back.
Thank you for bringing to our attention.
Connie – Can you post the email here? I’d love to see it!
I cannot find it now. Grrrr. Thought I saved it. Because I thought of you when I got it. Will have to try a different folder. May have to write again. 🙂
Just goes to show you got to grow it and raise ’em if you truly want to eat healthy. If it is made a priority in ones life it is easily doable.
Thank you for sharing this Vani. You can taste the lack of nutrition which is why I have never been attracted to Subway, but I appreciate you exposing them and all corporations that are destroying our food supply and choices. I am also appalled the first lady endorsed subway. It reminds me when Bush led that silly campaign with shrek to fight obesity while promoting junk food. It is so blatant our presidential candidates are following the money in lieu of representing the people. I appreciate you calling them on it and all you do. Suzanne
Dear FoodBabe, another food chains bread that needs to be checked into is Blimbies here in the East Coast area. A considerable number of people eat there sandwichs. I have commented before and prised your stick-to-it attitude and prise you for duing the right thing. Not only are you beautiful on the outside, but the love you have for other people’s health shows how beautiful you are on the inside. Keep up the good work and keep the faith. John from New Jersey
GO VANI! Subway is the biggest FRAUD and every time I watch the Biggest Loser and see SUBWAY I want to vomit! I was reading this article and getting more pissed by the minute…tired of being BAMBOOZLED! You are so spot on with what you are bringing us. Thank you for shining a light on the truth, and then staying on them till they make a change!
I Love that you not only expose the problems, YOU actually stick around and demand CHANGE. If these Corporate guys are not held accountable, they will just wait you out and continue business as usual…they know that things fade and interest wanes…we have to stay vigilant and keep up the pressure. Anyone that gives you a hard time can keep drinking the Kool Aid, I’ll drink the Green Juice… keep going Vani!
I just sent Subway an email asking how they can be socially responsible for poisoning the uneducated with unnecessary chemicals in their food under the guise of “healthful’ food. I doubt I will ever get a meaningful response, but hope it gets documented. Thanks for your investigation Food Babe!
I am thinking, based on a scientific wild ass guess, that your email was forwarded to the vp in charge of the poisoning the uneducated division of Subway for prompt attention, being the large consumer of Subway products that you must be.