Witnessing the power of the Food Babe Army this week has been absolutely incredible.
On Tuesday, February 4th, I launched a petition for the removal of a dangerous plastic chemical called azodicarbonamide from Subway sandwich bread – the same stuff used in yoga mats, shoe rubber and synthetic leather. This was after repeated attempts to reach out to Subway since June of 2012 to learn more about why they are using this (asthma inducing and potentially carcinogenic) chemical here in North America and not in any other countries. They never responded until now.
Within 24 hours, the petition received over 50,000 signatures, and Subway’s social media channels were completely overrun by concerned citizens and the Food Babe Army. I want to thank the countless number of friends, family members, fellow bloggers, organizations, and everyday citizens who took swift action to tell Subway we deserve the same safer ingredients they use overseas.
To date, the petition has received over 78,000 signatures and counting.
Late Wednesday afternoon in an email to me from Michelle Dinello, Director of Corporate Communications, Subway announced they would be removing this ingredient from their sandwiches “soon”. In this email, she apologized for not responding sooner and specifically to my inquiry on January 25th that went unanswered. They said “that we are already in the process of removing azodicarbonamide from our bread as part of our ongoing bread improvement program” and additionally told reporters that their change had nothing to do with the petition. We know this is just a corporate spin and how big companies operate. They don’t want us to know how much power we have over their decisions. We’ve seen this kind of deceptive marketing move before when Gatorade took out a flame retardant chemical and said it had nothing to do with a petition with over 200k signatures. And again, most recently in Kraft, when they started removing artificial food dyes from their Mac & Cheese and said it had nothing to do with our 350k signatures petition. Since Subway has been exploiting us with unsafe ingredients that are prohibited in other countries for all these years, wouldn’t it be nice if they’d just be straight with us?
As soon as I received this email, I wrote back and asked for a timeline and asked if they would provide the new ingredient list.
There’s been dead silence on their end. Every single reporter I talked with yesterday and today (over 30) has tried to get the same answer from Subway headquarters and they aren’t responding. I went live on CNN yesterday afternoon talking about this. I’ve heard nothing. I sent another followup email this morning.
We cannot call this a victory until we know the facts. Please keep spreading the word, and ask Subway to give a timeline.
We know nothing about their changes. Are they going to be using the same ingredients they do overseas? This would mean they would also have to eliminate caramel coloring, yeast extract, and GMOs from their bread – which would be fantastic! What do they plan to do? No one knows.
Keep the pressure on. They hope we’ll celebrate and just go away. The Food Babe Army is too strong and committed for that.
Every time you see a Subway commercial, advertisement or walk or drive past a store – take the time to ask yourself, how long will it take for Subway to stop serving plastic to their customers?
The worldwide news coverage of this event has been miraculous – from China to India to Canada to Sweden to Mexico. I spent the last 2 days talking to as many reporters as possible so we could get our voices heard. I cry tears of joy realizing that so many more people will now have their eyes opened to what is really happening in the food supply and that eating at Subway is not “Fresh”. As of now, there are over 450 news stories about the petition according to Google News, here are a few:
ABC News – Subway takes chemical out of bread after protest
USA Today – Subway to remove chemical from bread
NY Daily News – Subway will remove additive found in plastics from its bread after blogger’s online petition
CNN – Meet the ‘food babe’ who helped convince Subway to remove chemical from bread
Canada CBC News – Subway agrees to end use of controversial chemical after food blogger Vani Hari’s protest
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon – (HILARIOUS) Subway Yoga Mat Controversy
What’s Next?
Please take action. Keep sharing the petition, keep going to Subway’s facebook page, keep calling them and tweeting them.
- Sharing the petition via email with at least 3 friends
- Sharing your support on Facebook, Twitter, and Google
- Contacting Subway directly and asking them when they are going to remove azodicarbonamide from their bread
- Subway Facebook Page
- Subway Twitter Page – @Subway #NoWaySubway
- Subway Customer Service Hotline: 800.888.4848
- Subway Customer Service Contact Form
- Call or Ask Your Local Subway Store Manager – Find Your Nearest Store
78,000 voices and counting deserve answers.
There’s no stopping us now!
Vani Hari
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
Another thing, why do their apples taste funny? Several years ago when I ate at Subway, I ordered apples instead of getting GMO chips. They tingled in my mouth so I threw them away. Where do they get their apples from? Are they GMO apples?
I agree the same thing happened to me. Their apples taste horrible
I never tasted an apple with a tingling sensation, that can’t be good!
I stopped eating organic apples last year when I read online that there are two antibiotics used in apples, even the organic ones. Whole Foods carries them and has pledged to stop selling them in 2017.
They probably soak them in lemon juice…wait, that’s too real. It is probably ascorbic acid then to keep them from browning. This would give your mouth a tingly feel.
I have a question. Why is the foodbabe restricting her complaint about azodicarbonamide to Subway? Azodicarbonamide is probably in most of the bread we buy off the shelves in most supermarkets in this country every day? Are we not just as miffed at Safeway and Kroger, Hostess, and General Mills as we are at Subway?
What’s that all about?
Thank you Vani for all you do to keep us informed and educated about what is in the food we eat! You rock girl!! God bless:)) keep up the great work!
You & Erin Brockovich!! An ingenious partnership! I’ve contacted her on your behalf 😉 look her up!? U heard it hear 1st
Whooo! This is so awesome! Thanks Food Babe!
I’m having a problem egging off sugar and eating healthy in the evening…I start out great with yogurt and fruit , then salad for lunch,,,dinner gets bad I eat sandwich or carbs and not enough veggies ,,,help !
Darlene, I have a suggestion for you. By evening you are probably pretty hungry and tired which makes standing up to temptation much harder. Perhaps it would help if you planned and did as much preparation as you can the day before for the next day’s evening meal. Then when you get home, it will be closer to being ready and the right sort of food. The decision of what you will eat will have already been made. You won’t have to make decisions when you are most vulnerable.
Also, you might consider that it might not be the carbs that are the problem but the additives and junk in the foods that you are accustomed to eating. Try eating limited portions of beans, legumes, pastas and breads that are FREE OF THE ADDITIVES, no white or otherwise refined grains, only WHOLE grains like brown rice, quinoa. You can get pastas made with whole grains too. There are ingredients added to foods that cause you to crave more of them. They are actually addictive. So it will take some time and serious resistance to overcome the desire for them but once you do, your tastes will change and you will see the victory! You will be so encouraged you will want to continue eating healthier.
I have one more idea, for you. I suspect that a lot of the challenges we face with controlling weight are actually caused more by toxins than by carbs. Half to a whole lemon juiced and added to warm water and 3 to 5 drops of liquid stevia first thing in the morning helps with elimination of toxins. I use liquid stevia because the powdered forms have other ingredients added. Stevia is not a sugar so it won’t mess with your glycemic index nor is it an artificial sugar full of nasty chemicals. Speaking of glycemic index, there is a good website to check out by the University of Sydney. I wish you the best.
I love your above suggestions. To add to what you have suggested here is another really good tonic drink: add a couple tablespoons of pure apple cider vinegar to a few oz. of juice (or water if you can bare it) and some squeezed lime or lemon juice. And yes, it’s not the “carbs” that are the problem. Try having whole grains with lunch when you need the energy and plan to have the least amount of whole grain in the evening when you don’t need energy. It might help you to not feel the urge to stock up at the end of the day. Good luck Darlene!
Thanks. You are a true Angel.
Get a petition going for walmart to remove it from their bread also. It is in many breads sold in US.
Mark, nobody should be shopping for food at WalMart.. I mean really, stick with the union food shops because those stores are charged dollars on every hour employees work towards health care. Walmart has employees using welfare and state/government health care plans. A company as rich as Walmart should and easily could give back to their employees, but they don’t …. they don’t do enough.
But millions of people do shop at Walmart….so they are not worth the effort to get rid of the poison in their food? Walmart has the clout to rid the whole country of this stuff and you just say people should not shop there. I live in a small military town in NC where the majority of the people cannot afford to shop anywhere else. I shop at the base commissary. Which by the way uses the same dough with this stuff in it also. Are the active duty and retired military people in this town worth a petition to rid this dough from our base commissaries or should I tell the retired folks on fixed incomes to drive 20 miles one way to Harris Teeter and pay double for the same groceries? I don’t understand why you think it is good to rid this stuff from Subway and OK to leave it in Walmart or other stores? Makes me question the motives.
Signed it!
I also contacted Aldi’s and Hi Vee food stores . Hi Vee has responded favorably. Great job for exposing this crap 🙂
There are other scary bread ingredients that are “masked” on the labels, especially in gluten free “processed food” breads. Please contact me for more information
Congratulations, Vani and us! People who value our health. It’s great that we have the attention of some big corporations and they seemingly have complied. But we need “truth in labeling” by ALL entities that provide food. Terms such as “healthy and natural” need to be standardized and defined without room for ambiguity. Terms such as “fat free” don’t belong on labels of foods that have not fats in them in the first place. Endorsements by athletes and other famous people should not be permitted to dupe the public. There are so many deceptive tactics that are being allowed, it would take a book to list them all! If a company is going to advertise that they serve “healthy” food they should not be allowed to include hydrogenated oils, nitrates and nitrites, etc. If you will notice in the list of ingredients of the bread served in Australia and other countries, there are some ingredients that are far from “healthy”. They may not have azodicarbonamide but they still contain hydrogenated oils and some other things that sound suspect. If they are going to claim to be “healthy” then ALL the ingredients should be above reproach, not just what they can get away with. Again, I say let’s keep pushing until laws are enacted and companies are forced to comply. Let’s demand that our legislators identify such terms as “healthy and natural” and other such deceptive tactics are outlawed. No loopholes! Thank you, Vani for having the courage and taking up the fight!
I hope they do more than just remove the azodicarbonamide. We really do deserve the same ingredients as Europe and UK. Can’t we expand this pressure to make sure they take care of us Americans also ??? We can do it ! I called Kroger stores comment line about the crud in the Country Oven bread. “made with the finest ingredients” the label proclaims. I asked if they are using the finest azodicarbonamide? I sure hope so 🙂 … We all need to be calling these companies to let our voices be heard. Thanks again Foodbabe 🙂
Change in anything this big that has been creeping
backward for so long will take time. Keep up the
momentum, choose your battles carefully and
be measured but….never give up.
Bill
What about all the other GMO’s that are in subway bread? Notice that the U.K. and Europe bread DON’T have soybean oil or CORN. The U.S. ingredient list is three times as long!
Linda, soya flour is GMO and canola oil is a GMO.
Where I come from (Italy) you buy bread every day (or two) because it goes stale fast! The ingredient list as you may guess is VERY short! Why does bread have to have so many dang ingredients here ??? Well I know why but it’s di$gu$ting…
Given how intransigent Kraft is re the harmful ingredients in their mac and cheese, I’m wondering if there is a role for large retailers with image problems among certain demographics (like Wallmart) to play in requesting that the Kraft mac and cheese sold in their American stores be of the same quality that is sold in their English or European stores. In other words, I wonder if the reputation of a giant retailer like Wallmart might be enhanced if they could create enough of a demand for the safe mac and cheese to make it worth while for Kraft to begin selling it in the US. If not Walmart, then maybe Target? Costco? Just a thought…
This is not a plastic. Yes it is used in plastic production as a foaming agent. It is used in flour productions as a whitening agent and is found in most bread/cake/cookie products. I’m not defending Subway but place the blame equally an not just single out one company when and entire industry is doing the same thing. http://www.goodguide.com/ingredients/37393-azodicarbonamide
Feel the same. If you go out and check McDonald’s and KFC’s history, you’ll be shocked as hell. The fast food sector is full of such stories. The brand is responsible, but more than that FDA and USDA are to be held responsible for this. I love their Subs and if they’re removing the chemical, it’s even better.
Hi Silky-We have to start somewhere!
sorry Silky meant for Trevor’s response! 🙂
Kudos!
I often wonder how these executives look at themselves in the mirror with a straight face – do they really feed this stuff to their children and families?!
Food is one area the US falls down vs Europe. Do you ever wonder why there are fresh markets everywhere in Europe and why the food there tastes a million times better than ours? It is not laden with all the synthetic junk.
Oh, and they don’t have the strong arming of the political action lobbyists.
You are such an inspiration. One day I plan to make as much of a difference in the quality of our food and the knowledge of our food choices as much as you already have. Or possibly I will be doing it standing by your side? Keep up the strong work!
You give me hope and inspiration! Blessings to you and your team.
http://www.inrfood.com/ingredients/3236
AS PER ABOVE SOURCE THE USE OF YOGA MATS IN FOOD IS NOT LIMITED TO SUBWAY’S BREAD – IT IS ALSO USED IN DONUTS, BAGELS, AS AN EMULSIFIER ETC. SEE BELOW:
Azodicarbonamide is used as a food additive in the form of a flour bleaching agent and improving agent in food industry. It is used in burgers, doughnuts, bagels, bread and baked products. It is also used in chewing gums. As a flour bleaching agent, it makes the flour look whiter. Improving agents act as emulsifiers, enzymes and as oxidizing and reducing agents. The United States allows azodicarbonamide to be added to flour at levels up to 45 ppm.
The compound formula for Azodicarbonamide is C2H4N4O2. The other names for Azodicarbonamide are azobiscarboxamide, azodicarboxamide, azobiscarbonamide, diazenedicarboxamide, ADA and ADC.
Surely Subway isn’t the only guilty party. Is there a way to find out if there are any other offenders?
I found it in the bakery breads at Walmart and at a USMC military base commissary bakery.
Please ask, why they did what they did? Adding chemicals. Why did they not add chemicals in their overseas market.. That is a VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION..
Thanks
because these chemicals are not allowed in other countries.
In a free market economy, this is where our government and the regulatory agencies such as the FDA only have to require and enforce labeling and honesty in labeling. The market then chooses whether to buy or not. You can bet if Subway wants to stay in business, they have no choice but to remove the ingredient.
I like Subway, my kids love their pizza subs. I will no longer be buying Subway products for myself or my family until they remove the plastic. I will also do my best to pass this info on to others.
Thank you Foodbabe for doing the FDA’s job for them and working so hard to get this information out to us the consumer.
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for all your hard work!!!!! I USED to think eating at Subway was healthy. Not anymore. I can’t wait to see what will happen next. Too much of corporate America taking over and making our food unsafe. Sooo scary!!!!!
That is fantastic news food babe at long last removing crap from their bread another step forward for mankind well done. People need to know what poisoins are in macdonalds, i wont eat none of that as i am totally organic and what a difference eating real food, but you even have to watch the ingredients in organic to. Long live the global resistence !!!!
I would suggest that you all begin to grow your own wheat and bake your own bread. Do not buy subway products or any other products that you deem unhealthy. I haven’t heard or read any stories where you have been forced to eat any of the products that you feel are so unhealthy. Your goal is not to advise and change, but more to the fact of gaining recognition and fame. I listened to you the other day on CNN and it became clear to me that you were more interested in promoting yourself.
I may like Subway and all of the other brands you have talked about and I MAY REALLY WANT TO ENJOY EATING ALL THE INGREDIANTS IN THE FOOD. I don’t feel that you or anyone else should have the right to make a decision for me as to what is healthy for me or not. I’ve lived a long life without people like you telling me what I can eat or drink. You are not interested so much in my well being as you are in promoting yourself. It’s very obvious. Stop what you are doing and find another activity to keep you busy. You disgust me.
Of course you have a choice. You say you “lived a long life”, keep in mind that when you BEGAN your lifes journey the food you ate WAS 90%+ ORGANIC. Forward to NOW the food,in the U.S., is 80% GMO, processed, artificial & chemically cleansed. Perhaps this is why you have “lived a long life”. This is ONE of MANY issues Vani “Food Babe” is currently fighting to inform people about the TRUTH & expose the greedy corporations, companies & the Monsanto’s who are NOT!! Within the last 20 years alone people are rapidly becoming more sick (Cancer, MS, Diabetes, Mental illness etc.) & overweight in the U.S. I applaud Vani & truly appreciate what she is doing for the good! As a Father I will do anything & everything to ensure that my children may live a happy and long life.
I completely agree with you Ed Sam, well said.
Thank you Vani for the work you do. I have begun to take a closer look at ingredients of the products I buy. You inspire me and many others. This is another victory for us and increased awareness. Congrats!
Thank you for all the hard work. You really get results!!
I wish you would tackle the arsenic in the chicken feed.
Way to go Food Babe! Personally, I will never eat at a Subway again! I do not trust that any of their other ingredients are safe as well! Can’t believe that companies put our lives at risk on this garbage just so they can make more $$$$. That is what the saddest part about it is for me! They just don’t care. So now, I just don’t care about them!! Everyone needs to start making their own fresh foods and leave these fast food companies behind!! They are killing you and your children!! Do it for your kids, not because it’s convenient!! You should be proud of what you are doing Food Babe!
Thank you Food Babe for all your hard work! I hope the news coverage will start waking people up to all the garbage in our food. Hopefully more companies will step up to remove the azodicarbonamide just like they did for the pink slime!
I would like to point out that Kroger grocery stores in ohio use this chemical in there bread as well.
Kroger in Houston also uses this chemical. I used to buy the whole grain and ten grain breads from their bakery, I thought they were healthy for my kids to eat… Then I checked the ingredients. Please make up a petition for Kroger.
I made a post on their Facebook and received a very generic response. I also emailed a couple of local news station here in Columbus to let them know. I think a petition would be great.
Sam,
You have every right to disagree with Vani, but that doesn’t give you a free pass to be a rude ass hat and suggest you know what her motives are.
Give credit where credit is due.
Have a nice day.
Just submitted this to Subway:
“Give me the date for when you will give me, an American, the SAME quality ingredients you give Europeans! We will not quit until that happens in totality for ALL of your menu items.”
🙂
Thank you for your courage… your work will save lives. Will try to support your efforts. Know there are many standing with you. Protect real food!
1. Why did they use azodicarbonamide and call their product ‘fresh’? They have lost all credibility.
2. How do we know that they’re disclosing all the ingredients they use?
3. Who uses L-Cysteine and is it disclosed to consumers?
4. What else are they peddling to us that we don’t know about?
5. No fast food, QSR or processed food for me regardless of who the manufacturer is. Period. They are not going to get my $$$$ to add to their profits.
6. QED.
You should also check with companies like Puratos Corporation, Caravan Ingredients and Dawn Food Products to see if their products contain azodicarbonamide. They are the largest suppliers of bread improvers and conditioners to bakeries that make products for companies such as Subway, Taco Bell, McDonalds, Burger King, etc. Wouldn’t surprise me if they’re the one who include azodicarbonamide in their ingredients. All you have to do is ask to see their nutritional labels.
Love your very important educational and inspiring website – thank you! The sad, very sad truth is that there is a whole concoction of nasty chemicals in this bread (as with most processed foods). Yellow corn, soybean oil, most likely GMO / caramel coloring / natural flavors (which are usually chemicals) / yeast extract which is a type of MSG/ and so on. What is actually real and healthy in this bread? Plus, all the other additives, preservatives, chemicals in the other processed foods that do not contribute to a healthy body, or mind, for that matter. I say, “make it real, make it healthy, make it safe – then I’ll buy it!”
THANK YOU
But what about the “DATEM” ingredient in the European bread. That isn’t good either.
I wonder what “Jared” has to say.
The deceitful commercials on TV/Paper on various health benefits of eating Subway or for that matter any other food product should be verified prior to airing.
One idea – Just like the the prescription medicines commercials on TV where they speak about the various risks associated with medicines, the FDA should mandate the Food commercials to also list the risks associated with eating those meals.
Intaking Pills is not that different from intaking food !
What do you say Vani ?
If we want to go the way of Europe, why has no one mentioned getting rid of the hydrogenated oil as well. We all know that crap is no good. right?
I signed the petition yesterday! Nice job.
Is aspartame still in our diet sodas .? We need to get that ingredient out. It is bad!
Food Babe… After I sign up I heard U on Alex Jones… Way To GO!!!
Congratulations, Vani, on the success of your campaign! I just saw your interview with Don Lemon on CNN a few minutes ago.
For those who didn’t see it, Subway has announced publicly that they will no longer use this ingredient in their bread. Vani’s comments were intelligent and well-balanced and showed that she is very well informed about what ingredients in our food are harmful and which are not.
Well done to all who signed this petition, and to Don Lemon of CNN for his coverage, which will bring much more attention to the whole subject of dangerous substances in food. This kind of activism is very effective, and we need more of it, especially when we have a gridlocked Congress. But it’s still worthwhile getting in touch with your senators and representatives, and telling them to light a fire under sleeping government agencies which Obama seems not to have been able to turn around.
Thank you Food Babe for pointing us in the rite direction. I have suggestion on how to get good things by our Government. if we could get everyone we know to get registered to Vote & Vote on every local & national election day & vote for no career politicians (careers are to make money, look good sound good do nothing for the country) running for a 2nd or more term. In a few years we will have people running or office that want to do something good for the country & then go back home.
Bread should have these ingredients: flour, water, yeast… a little salt, maybe an egg and some honey….
I have asked them repeatedly if they are spraying their lunch meats with the FDA-approved viruses that are supposed to help kill certain supposedly less-healthy bacteria/viruses. Never an answer. Think we can twist their arm on that one next?
thank you, Food Babe !
To Ed sam: there’s a rotten apple in every bushel of good ones.
Laurie and George obviously left comments that are meant to confuse, distort and creat conflict. They obviously have an objective and fear the general public gaining knowlesge and fact. Directly concernign Laurie, anyone who cannot find all the animal studies where GMO food sterilized them, is attwmtping to act slow minded. George, for you to reference an abundant element in comparison to a globally banned chemical in Canada, China , basically the rest of the palanet-is literally absurd!