Subway chemical used as a bleaching agent in the companys sandwich bread will be removed, a week after a petition organized by a popular food blogger called for its removal. The Subway chemical is a plastic additive also found in shoe rubber and yoga mats.

What sort of ingredients do you expect in your sandwich bread? Flour, yeast, and maybe a few whole grains are probably the first things that come to mind. A chemical found in yoga mats is likely not, which led to a major publicity nightmare for Subway this week.

Staff writer/editor

Schuyler Velasco is a writer and editor for the Monitor's business desk. She writes about consumer issues, sports, and the occasional sandwich.

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The global sandwich chain said Thursday that it would be removing such a chemical from its bread, a week after a petition called for its removal. The petition was organized by Vani Hari, a popular food blogger who runs the website Foodbabe.com. The chemical, called azodicarbonamide, is a plastic additive used as a bleaching agent in Subways bread and used in other products to increase elasticity. Azodicarbonamide is legal in the US and Canada, and deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration. But the World Health Organization has warned of a link between the chemical and certain medical issues, and Subway does not use it in bread sold in its European and Australian locations.

Azodicarbonamide is the same chemical used to make yoga mats and shoe rubber this is not eating fresh! Ms. Hari wrote last week in a blog post, which also linked to a petition urging Subway to stop using the chemical in North America. The post was widely shared on Twitter and Facebook, and the petition has over 68,000 signatures to date.

Subway says that it was in the process of removing the chemical before Haris post went viral. "We are already in the process of removing Azodiacarbonamide as part of our bread improvement efforts despite the fact that it is USDA and FDA approved ingredient," the company said in a press statement. The complete conversion to have this product out of the bread will be done soon." Subway wouldnt reveal how much Azodiacarbonamide was used in the breads production.

Subway is the biggest sandwich chain in the world, with more locations worldwide than McDonalds. Being viewed as a fresher, healthier option than its fast food competitors is key to its brand, and something that it has been very successfully cultivating both in the United States and abroad. The chains advertising mainly features Olympians and other high-profile athletes, like speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno and NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III. Subway has a partnership with the American Heart Association and recently pledged to join Michelle Obamas Partnership for a Healthy America campaign.

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Subway chemical, also in yoga mats, removed from sandwich bread