Subway denies report on adulterated roasted chicken in sandwiches

Subway has denied reports of soy being mixed to its roast chicken sandwiches.

The report, an investigation into the ingredients of six different restaurant chain on sandwiches using DNA testing by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Marketplace showed that McDonald's Country Chicken-Grilled was 84.9 per cent chicken, Wendy's Grilled Chicken Sandwich 88.5 per cent, A&W's Chicken Grill Deluxe 89.4 per cent, and Tim Horton's Chipotle Chicken Grilled Wrap 86.5 per cent.

However, Subway's Oven Roasted Chicken Sandwich contained only 53.6 per cent chicken, while Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki had only 42.8 per cent.

The testing performed by DNA researcher Matt Harnden from Trent University's Wildlife Forensic DNA Laboratory further revealed that the "alternative chicken" mixed with the real chicken in the sandwiches was mostly soy. But that was not all, the report explained that the chicken in the six sandwiches included 50 different ingredients (each chicken piece averaged 16 ingredients), ranging from honey and onion powder to industrial ingredients.

According to commentators, using less expensive fillers or "alternative meat" to bulk up real meat and enhance taste was hardly a new practice. Earlier reports had found several other ingredients such as wood pulp mixed with meat in tacos and different sandwiches.

All five restaurant chains pointed to issues with CBC's chicken testing report in their rebuttals.

In its statement to CBC, Subway said, "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."