In news that shouldn’t be all that surprising, given that their five dollar foot-long sandwiches are less than a foot long, it is now being reported that the international fast-food empire, Subway has been serving tuna salad that doesn’t have any tuna in it.
In a report from the NYT, the nation’s most popular newspaper tested 60 inches worth of Tuna sandwiches from three different franchises of Subway and sent the sandwiches to a laboratory. Here’s what the new report said:
“No amplifiable tuna DNA was present in the sample and so we obtained no amplification products from the DNA. Therefore, we cannot identify the species.”
In response, the Subway spokeswoman Lorri Christou told the New York Post, they had this to say:
The Times’ report indicates that DNA testing is an unreliable methodology for identifying processed tuna. DNA testing is simply not a reliable way to identify denatured proteins, like Subway’s tuna, which was cooked before it was tested.”
“The testing does not show that there is not tuna in Subway’s tuna. All it says is that the testing could not confirm tuna, which is what one would expect from a DNA test of denatured proteins. The fact is Subway restaurants serve 100% wild-caught, cooked tuna, which is mixed with mayonnaise and used in freshly made sandwiches, wraps and salads that are served to and enjoyed by our guests.
The taste and quality of our tuna make it one of Subway’s most popular products and these baseless accusations threaten to damage our franchisees, small business owners who work tirelessly to uphold the high standards that Subway sets for all of its products, including its tuna.”
This is not the only scandal to hit Subway’s 41,600 branches in recent years. The chain was also sued when it was found out that they had been selling 11″ sandwiches as $5 Foot Longs, because they said that Footlong was just a brand name, not a product claim. Additionally, they dealt with the internationally reported scandal when their company’s mascot, Jared Fogle, was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison in November 2015 for trading in child pornography and paying for sex with underage girls.