An earlier lawsuit in California questioned the authenticity of Subway’s long-time favorite tuna salad, as it allegedly contains no tuna whatsoever. Despite Subway’s denial of these claims, further investigations were conducted, including lab tests on the tuna. While an initial test by The Washington Post proved inconclusive, a more recent study funded by The New York Times has shed new light on the matter.
A reporter from The New York Times collected samples of Subway’s tuna from three different outlets in Los Angeles and had them analyzed by a commercial food tester. The lab’s spokesperson later conveyed their findings to The Times, stating, “No amplifiable tuna DNA was present in the sample, and we could not identify the species.” This revelation raises concerns about the composition of Subway’s tuna.
The lab suggested two possibilities: either the tuna is heavily processed to the extent that DNA identification is impossible, or the samples contained no traces of tuna whatsoever. This reinforces the suspicion that the tuna in Subway’s products may not be what it claims to be.
New study fails to find any tuna DNA inside Subway tuna sandwich: “We cannot identify the species.” https://t.co/ADSNyeocXB
— Complex (@Complex) June 22, 2021
Subway’s menu describes their tuna as flaked tuna in brine with mayonnaise and a flavor-preserving additive. If the recent findings are accurate, it could support the claims made in the lawsuit that consumers were misled into purchasing products that did not contain the expected ingredients.
Despite the allegations, Subway maintains that its tuna is authentic and sourced from wild catches. Conflicting reports from previous tests suggest that inconsistencies may exist between different Subway locations, leaving a lingering question about the true nature of Subway’s tuna.
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