Irish court rules Subway bread is not bread

[liuzhou]

Irish court rules Subway bread is not bread

[Chris Hennes]

My wife will approve, she hates their "bread" -- I'm not sure it's the sugar quantity that bothers her (that's what the courts found made it non-bread in this case), more the texture, but nevertheless...

[AlaMoi]

something's a tad wonky.  the USA site gives nutritional info, and there's 5-7 grams of sugar in the sandwich(es)

a single slice of "brand name" type breads has 4 grams.

 

I know many 'chains' adapt their seasonings to local tastes - I wonder if the Irish Subway bread is intentionally made 'extra sweet'

[Eatmywords]

I never thought the smell of bread baking could be foul until I walked by a Subway.

[liuzhou]

38 minutes ago, AlaMoi said:

I wonder if the Irish Subway bread is intentionally made 'extra sweet'

 

I don't know, but they'd be asking for trouble if they did make it that way intentionally. In fact, they got trouble whatever.

Edited October 1, 2020 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

I am happy to say I have never eaten Subway "food" in my life.

 

56 minutes ago, Eatmywords said:

I never thought the smell of bread baking could be foul until I walked by a Subway.

 

I remember walking past one in Hong Kong a few years ago and thinking it stank.

Edited October 1, 2020 by liuzhou (log)

[gfweb]

2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Irish court rules Subway bread is not bread

 

And critical palates rule that its a bad excuse for a hoagie/sub.

[Chris Hennes]

1 hour ago, AlaMoi said:

something's a tad wonky.  the USA site gives nutritional info, and there's 5-7 grams of sugar in the sandwich(es)

a single slice of "brand name" type breads has 4 grams.

 

I know many 'chains' adapt their seasonings to local tastes - I wonder if the Irish Subway bread is intentionally made 'extra sweet'

You can actually get more detail than that: Subway's US nutrition site lists the nutrition info for each of their bread types, so for example their "Italian" (Subway's basic white) is a 65g serving size with 3g of sugar. For comparison, Wonder Bread has a 33g slice with 2g sugar. Of course, I'm not sure if Wonder "Bread" is a bread in Ireland, either, it may fail the exact same test. Subway Ireland doesn't break it down by bread, but just picking something that matches between their sandwich menus, the Veggie sub, in the US gives 162g serving size with 6g sugars, but in Ireland it lists at 159g serving size and only 3.5g sugars. So if anything the Irish version has less sugar than the US.

[Chris Hennes]

8 minutes ago, gfweb said:

And critical palates rule that its a bad excuse for a hoagie/sub.

Their bread is pretty awful, but I eat the Veggie sub several times a year when traveling: their stores have pretty wide operating hours, take credit, and package the sandwiches up in a backpack-friendly way.

[Eatmywords]

44 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

I am happy to say I have never eaten Subway "food" in my life.

I remember walking past one in Hong Kong a few years ago and thinking it stank.

You're not missing anything I promise you.  I used to work near one so I was confronted daily.  Constantly wondering what shit ingredients/preservatives could cause it.  Not quite on par with what Jared did but still a crime.

[heidih]

Huh - closest one is next door to an old really good bakery. Probably why I can't smell the fresh baked goods when I walk by. Of course depending on the breeze it is overshadowed by the bad oil smell from the fryer at the big chain grocery store...

[Chris Hennes]

Independent.ie has a little more detail, with some actual numbers:

Quote

The five-judge court ruled the bread in Subway's heated sandwiches falls outside that statutory definition because it has a sugar content of 10pc of the weight of the flour included in the dough.

 

The act provides the weight of ingredients such as sugar, fat and bread improver shall not exceed 2pc of the weight of flour in the dough.

 

The clear intention of the detailed definition of "bread" in the act was to distinguish between bread as a "staple" food, which should be 0pc rated, and certain other baked goods made from dough, Mr Justice Donal O'Donnell said.

 

Because the Subway heated sandwiches, such as a hot meatball sandwich, did not contain "bread" as defined, it could not be said to be "food" for the purpose of the Second Schedule of the Act, he held.

 

[lindag]

I have a Subway about a mile from my house and I'll order ahead and get an occasional sandwich, usually in the summertime when I'm looking for a quick lunch.

I have no complaints about the bread or the sandwiches as a whole.

I've tried the sandwiches from the deli counter at my nearby grocery store and they are not nearly as good as Subway's.  My most recent favorite is their steak and cheese on honey oat bread.  Clearly YMMV.

[Kim Shook]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

I am happy to say I have never eaten Subway "food" in my life.

 

 

I remember walking past one in Hong Kong a few years ago and thinking it stank.

Sometimes known as the Subway Stench.  I detest Subway and their slimy, sticky meats.  We are lucky enough to have not only small, family owned sub shops in our area, but also Jersey Mike's, which is a chain, but with excellent meats that they cut when you order your sandwich.

[Eatmywords]

34 minutes ago, lindag said:

I have no complaints about the bread or the sandwiches as a whole. 

I've tried the sandwiches from the deli counter at my nearby grocery store and they are not nearly as good as Subway's

I digress (ever so slightly).  The taste of the bread is not as horrifyingly offensive as the smell of it baking.  Go figure and I'm sorry about your deli options.  Chris, don't tell us what's in the cold cuts.  I haven't eaten lunch yet. 

[shain]

IDK about subway (never been to) but I hate the smell of bread in our local supermarkets. It's not all of their breads, but particularly the plain cheaper ones - like the "baguette" (which is like a large breadstick) and plain buns. A sort of chemical scent that reminds me of cardboard. I wonder what additive is its source.

[heidih]

34 minutes ago, shain said:

IDK about subway (never been to) but I hate the smell of bread in our local supermarkets. It's not all of their breads, but particularly the plain cheaper ones - like the "baguette" (which is like a large breadstick) and plain buns. A sort of chemical scent that reminds me of cardboard. I wonder what additive is its source.

 

Probably something to prolong its sad life. My sister from Sydney goes off when she is here because she finds all the bread so oddly sweet/ We have good bakeries now - talking general market stuff.

[Kim Shook]

37 minutes ago, shain said:

IDK about subway (never been to) but I hate the smell of bread in our local supermarkets. It's not all of their breads, but particularly the plain cheaper ones - like the "baguette" (which is like a large breadstick) and plain buns. A sort of chemical scent that reminds me of cardboard. I wonder what additive is its source.

I wonder, too.  It is especially puzzling when you consider that the most ordinary bread - Wonderbread - smells lovely when you drive by a bakery making it.  How the hell do you make baking bread smell bad????  

[Chimayo Joe]

I think I've only had Subway a couple of times years ago.  Whatever the combination of odors that produces that stench, it's enough to keep me out of there.

[btbyrd]

Subways do have a stench about them. It's like walking by a Bath & Body Works, except even more yeasty and even less pleasant. 

 

I found the rationale for this decision somewhat interesting:

 

"The clincher was the act’s strict provision that the amount of sugar in bread 'shall not exceed 2% of the weight of flour included in the dough'. Subway’s bread, however, contains five times as much sugar. Or, as the supreme court put it: “In this case, there is no dispute that the bread supplied by Subway in its heated sandwiches has a sugar content of 10% of the weight of the flour included in the dough.”

 

Not being a fan of sugar in bread, I must concur. It's not bread... it's bread-like cake: America's favorite bread substitute!

[Kim Shook]

37 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

Subways do have a stench about them. It's like walking by a Bath & Body Works, except even more yeasty and even less pleasant. 

 

I found the rationale for this decision somewhat interesting:

 

"The clincher was the act’s strict provision that the amount of sugar in bread 'shall not exceed 2% of the weight of flour included in the dough'. Subway’s bread, however, contains five times as much sugar. Or, as the supreme court put it: “In this case, there is no dispute that the bread supplied by Subway in its heated sandwiches has a sugar content of 10% of the weight of the flour included in the dough.”

 

Not being a fan of sugar in bread, I must concur. It's not bread... it's bread-like cake: America's favorite bread substitute!

Do they eat iced buns in Ireland?  Subway bread could be substituted for the hot dog buns (ducking).  😄

[Eatmywords]

Was thinking about this story.  I wonder the public reaction here if the case had made it to the US supreme court.   

[kayb]

On 10/1/2020 at 8:37 AM, Eatmywords said:

I never thought the smell of bread baking could be foul until I walked by a Subway.

Ditto.

 

[Norm Matthews]

@Eatmyswords 

Ireland has a tax on non-staple foods (VAT).  The Irish suit was asking the court to rule that Subway bread was a staple food and as such,  not subject to the tax.  Because the sugar content exceeded the definition for bread, the court ruled that it was subject to that Value Added Tax.  I don't think our US Supreme court would have reason to consider such a case because our laws do not add an extra tax to pastries, ice cream, chocolate, etc.

Edited October 3, 2020 by Norm Matthews (log)

[liuzhou]

21 hours ago, Eatmywords said:

Was thinking about this story.  I wonder the public reaction here if the case had made it to the US supreme court.   

 

Irrelevant. US law does not apply in the EU, or anywhere else for that matter.