Subway sandwiches have become a lunch time staple for many around the world, but according to a recent court ruling; they may be better suited for dessert. The Ireland Supreme Court ruled recently that Subway’s bread is too sugary to actually be considered bread.
While Subway was hoping for a tax break in Ireland for serving a “staple” food item, the court ruled the type of starch used in Subway sandwiches doesn’t meet the legal definition of bread. According to the five judge panel, their bread’s sugar-to-flour content is five times higher than the qualifications. In order to receive a zero percent tax in Ireland, the weight of sugar and fat in a bread product must not be more than 2 percent of the total weight of flour in the dough.
All six Subway breads, Italian white bread, Italian herbs and cheese, nine-grain wheat, hearty Italian, nine-grain multi-seed, and honey oat, were deemed to sugary. According to Justice Donal O’Donnell, the definition of “bread” was established to distinguish the starch from other non-essential baked goods. While many love subway for lunch, at least now they know; it may not actually be bread they are eating.
Via New York Post