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What’s in Subway’s chicken? Hint: Maybe only 50% chicken

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jmdajr

Member
What’s in Subway’s chicken? Hint: Maybe only 50% chicken
Ars Technica

GettyImages-493636644-800x534.jpg


The chicken in Subway Restaurants’ chicken sandwiches may only contain around 50 percent chicken, according to an investigation by Canadian media outlet, CBC. The rest: soy.

The investigation involved DNA testing chicken sandwiches collected from five popular fast food restaurants. The rest of the sandwiches contained mostly chicken. But in testing, Subway’s oven roasted chicken and the chicken strips in its Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki sandwich clocked in with just 53.6 percent and 42.8 percent chicken, respectively. The results stood up after extra rounds of sampling.
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Subway response

SUBWAY Canada cannot confirm the veracity of the results of the lab testing you had conducted. However, we are concerned by the alleged findings you cite with respect to the proportion of soy content. Our chicken strips and oven roasted chicken contain 1% or less of soy protein. We use this ingredient in these products as a means to help stabilize the texture and moisture. All of our chicken items are made from 100% white meat chicken which is marinated, oven roasted and grilled. We tested our chicken products recently for nutritional and quality attributes and found it met our food quality standards. We will look into this again with our supplier to ensure that the chicken is meeting the high standard we set for all of our menu items and ingredients.
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One commonality was that they all had high levels of salt.

"People think they're doing themselves a favor and making themselves a healthy choice [by eating chicken rather than other meat]," nutritionist and registered dietitian Christy Brissette told the CBC. "But from a sodium perspective you might as well eat a big portion of poutine." (I had to look up Poutine)
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The full results on the percentage of chicken in the sandwiches are:

Subway Oven Roasted Chicken Sandwich: 53.6%
Subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki (chicken strips): 42.8%
McDonald's Country Chicken – Grilled: 84.9%
Wendy's Grilled Chicken Sandwich: 88.5%
A&W Chicken Grill Deluxe: 89.4%
Tim Hortons’ Chipotle Chicken Grilled Wrap: 86.5%
 
P

poppedcollar69

Member
interesting. i personally hate subway, cause i worked there and it sucks, but i do think that convincing new food substitutes will be important for public health going forward... if they can make a tasty chicken substitute that is 80% sawdust, good for them
 
M

maxcriden

Member
Always weirds me out when I look at a frozen dinner and the "chicken" or "steak" is right next to isolated soy protein in the ingredients list (indicating similar amounts of each).
 
E

ElectricBlanketFire

Member
Subway has no redeeming qualities. The food is terrible. Ordering is a nightmare. Jimmy Johns may taste like a wet sock but at least they're fast.

Combined that with allegedly knowing about Fogle being a pedophile...easiest company ever not to give my business to.
 
J

jmdajr

Member
I stopped eating there long ago after reading how cured meats are one quick road trip to colon cancer.

But man I used to eat there.

A LOT.
 
D

daffy

Banned
Overpriced low quality sandwiches. And they try to give you those bullshit dime sized subs for $3 and call it a deal. Why would anyone willingly eat there?
 
J

jmdajr

Member
ElectricBlanketFire said:
Subway has no redeeming qualities. The food is terrible. Ordering is a nightmare. Jimmy Johns may taste like a wet sock but at least they're fast.

Combined that with allegedly knowing about Fogle being a pedophile...easiest company ever not to give my business to.
Click to expand...

There was some bullshit about the ingredients in their bread not long ago. Something about the same chemicals used to make tires.
 
DJ_Lae

DJ_Lae

Member
I'm actually surprised Tim Hortons is as high as it is there - their sliced chicken strips are virtually indistinguishable from Subway's, and the ones that McDonald's uses in their salads.

All are horrific.

Not surprised at A&W or Wendy's, though. But they could have tried a few other places, Canada is a wasteland for fast food but throw in some BK, Harvey's, Mary Browns, etc.
 
F

Fuchsdh

Member
latest


Subway's PR response seems rather unequivocal in that they only use a certain percentage of soy, which makes me think that they might actually have a problem they're unaware of.

But yeah, the whole "we make our ____ with 100% American ____" line is always great because it's a lie by omission.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDksqGudw3k

poppedcollar69 said:
interesting. i personally hate subway, cause i worked there and it sucks, but i do think that convincing new food substitutes will be important for public health going forward... if they can make a tasty chicken substitute that is 80% sawdust, good for them
Click to expand...

It would be, except nothing's free. As the article points out, the chicken at these places packs in a lot of extra sodium.
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Makonero said:
the real questions is

how much of arby's roast beef

is actually beef?
Click to expand...

All of it. And it's slow-cooked and sliced in-store.
 
U

UnemployedVillain

Member
Honestly, the fact that you can eat a large portion of poutine and still get the same "health benefit" as a Subway sub should be excellent news for anyone who eats at Subway
 
M

Moose Biscuits

It would be extreamly painful...
God, I wish I could get poutine in the UK, it sounds delicious.

But on the subject, I don't think I've ever eaten Subway and expected healthy options.
 
DJ_Lae

DJ_Lae

Member
Moose Biscuits said:
God, I wish I could get poutine in the UK, it sounds delicious.
Click to expand...

I'm actually surprised it isn't more widely available. In the UK it would totally make sense, too, the chips and gravy part would be easy - cheese curds, however, I'm not sure. Fresh ones aren't even common in western Canada.
 
K

Kayhan

Member
Chicken has no flavor so no wonder they have to add a bucket of salt and flavorings on that tasteless hell-meat.

American fast food diet:
30% soy
30% corn (mostly high-fructose corn syrup)
30% bleached white flour
10% "chicken"
 
Z

Zen Aku

Member
I don't go to Subway anymore since there's plenty of Wawa where I live. Even if there wasn't, Quiznos is still better.
 
R

Rootbeer

Banned
Too bad. They are affordable (when there is a promotion like the current any sub for $6 thing), but the impression you are getting something fresh and healthy is a load of shit. seriously, not even 50% on those chicken strips? what the FUCK subway.
 
D

Deleted member 20415

Unconfirmed Member
Used to eat there ALL the time during the $5 footlong heyday... I think it was the yoga mat thing that turned me off it.

Haven't eaten there in probably 4 years.

Soy isn't the worst thing... it's not like they found dog in the chicken.. but still, that's pretty messed up.
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Sanjuro said:
Last I heard, it was the most popular restaurant in the world.
Click to expand...

They have a ridiculous amount of locations, but their average store revenue sucks.
In N Out has three-quarters as much revenue from 300 stores as Subway has from 44,000.
 
S

Sho_Nuff82

Member
jmdajr said:
There was some bullshit about the ingredients in their bread not long ago. Something about the same chemicals used to make tires.
Click to expand...

I think it was a clueless food blogger who made it a much bigger deal than it actually was.

I actually like Subway's chicken sandwiches, but I was never under the illusion that it was healthy.

Kayhan said:
Chicken has no flavor so no wonder they have to add a bucket of salt and flavorings on that tasteless hell-meat.

American fast food diet:
30% soy
30% corn (mostly high-fructose corn syrup)
30% bleached white flour
10% "chicken"
Click to expand...

Learn to cook.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Moose Biscuits said:
God, I wish I could get poutine in the UK, it sounds delicious.

But on the subject, I don't think I've ever eaten Subway and expected healthy options.
Click to expand...

It is. Cattle grid in windsor does it, so worth checking some steak restaurants near you just in case.
 
N

Nevasleep

Member
Interesting the difference between what subway believe and what is being supplied. Supplier scandal inbound?

I quite like Subway in the UK, but wouldn't eat it everyday.
 
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