The Subway sandwich that you can’t call a bread roll

Judge rules they contain far too much sugar

THE world has been sinking its teeth into Subway sandwiches for more than half a century.

But you might not look at your meatball marinara quite the same way after a court decided its rolls are more like biscuits than bread.

Judges ruled that they are too sugary to be legally considered bread and should be categorised in the same way as other baked goods, such as cookies. The court found Subway’s white and wholegrain rolls were around 10 per cent sugar – making them as sugary as two digestives.

The case at Ireland’s Supreme Court came about after a Galway franchise of the takeaway giant argued about how the rolls should be taxed.

Bread in Ireland is eligible for a zero rate VAT as it constitutes a ‘staple food’. But its VAT act states some ingredients in bread, such as sugar and fat, should not exceed 2 per cent of the weight of flour in dough. The rolls contained more than five times this amount.

Five judges considered the appeal but they concluded the rolls should be subject to tax at 13.5 per cent.

Subway offers six types of rolls including: Italian white, Italian herbs and cheese, nine-grain wheat, hearty Italian, nine-grain multi-seed, and honey oat. They are the same in the UK as they are in Ireland. Subway told the BBC yesterday: ‘ Subway’s bread is, of course, bread. Our r guests return each day for sandwiches made on bread that smells as good as it tastes.’

Subway was set up in 1965 by a 17-year-old American student t who ploughed a $1,000 loan from m a family friend into a sandwich h store to help him pay his college e fees. The chain has since exploded in popularity with 44,000 franchises in 110 countries.

The ruling has no bearing on the UK where VAT on bread, biscuits and cakes is s zero-rated.