This week’s introduction of new Grilled Chicken Strips—premium cut, all white meat chicken expertly prepared, lightly seasoned, and grilled with no artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors—is the latest example of the Subway brand’s commitment to always improving its menu for consumers.
“A lot of companies seem to be jumping on the ’menu improvement bandwagon.’ At Subway, we have been offering healthier, nutritious choices since our founding 50 years ago and have always been making menu improvements,” says corporate dietitian Lanette Kovachi. “Introducing our new Grilled Chicken Strips is just the latest example of how we are striving to make our products even better—making it easy for customers to not only make choices they can feel good about, but also making those choices delicious.”
After careful review of ingredients to ensure any changes would not impact product and freshness, in 2014 the chain improved the quality of 18 products sold in its more than 29,900 restaurants in North America.
Along with increasing whole grains to 51 percent in the 9-Grain Wheat bread (which now provides 100 percent of a person’s daily Whole Grain requirement per Footlong sandwich), in 2014 the brand also removed artificial colors and flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and bleached flour in many of its products.
“Customers expect Subway to lead the way, and we have no intention of disappointing them,” Lanette says. “Stay tuned for even more changes. Menu improvements are an ongoing priority for us. This is a journey and we aren’t done yet.”
In recent years, the Subway brand has made a number of other dramatic improvements to its menu, including:
· Removal of azodicarbonamide in all of its breads (2013-2014)
· Became the first and only quick serve to meet the nutritional guidelines of the American Heart Association’s Heart Check certification (reducing sodium in FRESH FIT sandwiches by 35 percent, in all sandwiches by 30 percent);
· Fortified U.S. breads with Vitamin D and Calcium (2012)
· Reduced sodium content across its entire menu by 15 percent; removed high fructose corn syrup from 9-grain wheat bread and some sauces (2011)
· Removed artificial trans fats from all core menu items (2008)
