Subway fighting back against “fake tuna” lawsuit

Subway is vigorously defending the tuna is uses in its sandwiches and wraps after a class action lawsuit filed in late January claimed that the massive sandwich chain’s sandwiches do not contain any of the fish.

Subway’s tuna products contain “a mixture of various concoctions that do not constitute tuna, [which] have been blended together by (Subway) to imitate the appearance of tuna,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed on 21 January in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Legal Newsline reported.

Plaintiffs Karen Dhanowa and Nilima Amin do not specify what the mystery meat contains, if not tuna.

In a prepared statement sent to SeafoodSource by a company spokesperson on 28 January, the company called the claims made in the lawsuit “meritless."

"Tuna is one of our most popular sandwiches," the spokesperson said. "Our restaurants receive pure tuna, mix it with mayonnaise, and serve on a freshly made sandwich to our guests.”

Subway uses 100 percent wild-caught tuna, the company said in a press release.

“These baseless accusations threaten to damage our franchisees – small business owners who work tirelessly to uphold the high standards that Subway sets for all of its products, including its tuna,” it said. “There is no basis in law or fact for the plaintiffs' claims, which are frivolous and are being pursued without adequate investigation.”

The Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.A.-based company, , which operates nearly 45,000 restaurants globally, said the lawsuit “is part of a trend in which the named plaintiffs' attorneys have been targeting the food industry in an effort to make a name for themselves in that space.”

“Subway will vigorously defend itself against these and any other baseless efforts to mischaracterize and tarnish the high-quality products that Subway and its franchisees provide to their customers, in California and around the world, and intends to fight these claims through all available avenues if they are not immediately dismissed,” the restaurant chain said.

Photo courtesy of Prachana Thong-on/Shutterstock

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