Subway's antibiotic-free effort started Tuesday when the sandwich chain began selling an all white-meat, rotisserie-style chicken sandwich that does not contain any artificial coloring or flavor.
Subway announced in October plans to get rid of any meat containing antibiotics by 2025. The chain said that all of its chicken products should be converted to
antibiotic-free meats by the end of the year, according to CNBC.
"We have always supported nutrition transparency, 100 percent of the time, and we've done our best to inform our customers of the nutrition values," Lanette Kovachi, Subway's corporate dietitian, told CNBC. "For about 20 years now, we've put that information out there."
In October, Subway said in a statement that turkey meat raised without antibiotics will be introduced in 2016, with a completed transition expected within two to three years, and pork and beef raised without antibiotics will begin to be fully served by 2025.
"A change like this will take some time, particularly since the supply of beef raised without antibiotics in the U.S. is extremely limited and cattle take significantly longer to raise," Dennis Clabby, executive vice president of Subway's independent purchasing cooperative, said in the October statement.
"But, we are working diligently with our suppliers to make it happen. Given the size and scope of the Subway brand, this commitment is the largest of its kind in the restaurant industry. We hope that this commitment will encourage other companies in our industry to follow our lead, and that, together, this will drive suppliers to move faster to make these important changes for consumers," Clabby continued.
According to the website Eater.com, Subway's healthier chicken sandwich will contain white-meat chicken along with seasoning and "rotisserie chicken flavor" that includes chicken broth, skins, salt, xanthan gum, and maltodextrin, along with spices.
Subway's current chicken patties contain chicken rib meat along with flavoring ingredients, along with potato starch and the thickener carrageenan, Eater.com noted.
Subway's move continue a trend toward antibiotic-free meats, with McDonald's saying that it plans to do the same. Chipotle and Shake Shack are already serving
antibiotic-free meats, The Huffington Post reported.
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