Subway, the sandwich shop chain, is offering a new selection of healthier sandwiches for vegans.
The three new sandwiches are Sweet Riblet, Malibu Greek and Italian Black Bean. These items contain vegetarian “meats” such as meat-free, soy-based turkey, ham and chicken.
Subway’s Veggie Delight was previously the only vegan item on the menu. Consumers are able to order as many vegetables as they want on the Veggie Delight, but the sandwich is packed with cheese, a product vegans stay away from.
The decision comes from the animal-advocacy group Compassion Over Killing’s campaign to have Subway introduce healthier and more humane vegan meals that offer more protein.
COK set up a website, WeLoveSubway.com to allow users to voice their opinions and request more vegan meal options. The group successfully petitioned Subway to offer the “Totally Vegged” vegetable patties in Canada last year.
COK was also successful in persuading Morningstar Farms, Lightlife, BOCA Foods and Quorn to remove or eliminate egg-based ingredients.
Subway discovered last year that their flatbreads contained vitamin D3 and L-cysteine, which are derived from sheep’s wool and duck feathers, respectively. The ingredients were removed and Subway stated that all other ingredients in their Italian and garlic breads are “plant-derived.”
Subway’s other vegan-approved breads include Italian White Bread, Hearty Italian White Bread , Light Wheat English Muffin , Roasted Garlic Bread and Sourdough Bread. All other breads contain milk products or honey.
Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia will be the first Subway locations to offer the new veggie sandwiches this week. If the options prove to be popular, the sandwiches will be more widely available throughout the nation.
WeLoveSubway.com urges its consumers to call them at 203-877-4281 or e-mail them to help spread the new vegan sandwiches to more Subway restaurants.
