Subway said it is in the process of removing the chemical azodicarbonamide from its bread after activist food blogger Vani Hari launched a petition that called for the sandwich chain to stop using the chemical as food ingredient.
Hari's online petition has already gathered more than 60,000 signatures when Subway made its announcement. The blogger behind Foodbabe.com wrote that the azodicarbonamide Subway uses in its bread is used to make rubbery objects and is not supposed to be eaten and while the chemical can be used legally in the United States and Canada, it is banned in Australia and Europe.
"I discovered that Subway makes bread with an ingredient called azodicarbonamide," Hari wrote. "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. Subway is using this ingredient as a bleaching agent and dough conditioner which allows them to produce bread faster and cheaper."
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report by a group of international experts who linked azodicarbonamide to health problems such as asthma and allergies. "The key toxic effect of azodicarbonamide in humans is asthmagenicity. Evidence of this effect has been found from bronchial challenge studies and workplace health evaluations," the report read. "There is also information to indicate that azodicarbonamide can cause skin sensitization in humans."
The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, said that the chemical is safe to be used as bleaching or aging ingredient in cereal flour as long as it doesn't exceed 45 parts per million. It also has approval for use as a dough conditioner in limited proportion.
"Under FDA regulations, safety for food additives means that there is a reasonable certainty of no harm when an additive is used within the intended conditions of use," said FDA spokeswoman Theresa Eisenman. "The agency continues to monitor the safety of food additives, including azodicarbonamide, and is prepared to take appropriate action if there are safety concerns."
Although there are other food products in the U.S. that use azodicarbonamide, Hari said she focused on Subway because of the healthy brand that it projects. The sandwich chain was endorsed by First Lady Michelle Obama, a health advocate, and the American Heart Association (AHA).
Subway said it is already in the process of removing the controversial ingredient as part of its bread improvement efforts. The company, however, didn't provide exact details on how long it would take to completely remove azodicarbonamide from its sandwiches.
