If you're a fan of Subway's tuna sandwiches, we may have some bad news for you. According
to The New York Times, after public declarations from Subway saying that its tuna and seafood
sourcing departments distribute only skipjack and yellowfin tuna to use in sandwich fillings,
lab tests conducted on behalf of the outlet came to a different conclusion. The tests
show that not only were the samples clear of any skipjack or yellowfin tuna,
"No amplifiable tuna DNA was present in the sample and so we obtained no amplification
products from the DNA. Therefore, we cannot identify the species."
The results came from tests conducted on Subway sandwiches sourced from three different shops
around the Los Angeles area, and shipped to a facility whose area of expertise is fish
testing. The laboratory used a PCR test, which can make millions of copies from a DNA sample,
which in turn could show whether the sample came from five of 15 different types of saltwater
fish that are allowed to be labelled as tuna. A spokesperson for the testing lab says only
two conclusions can be drawn from these results - that the filling is heavily processed, making
it difficult to identify, or that it simply isn't tuna.
Unfortunately, mislabeling fish, also known as seafood fraud, happens more often than
you might think. Oceana, an ocean-based conservancy, says that anywhere from between 26 to 87%
of fish like grouper, cod, and snapper are swapped with fish that are cheaper and more
readily available, and that snapper and tuna are considered to be the most commonly mislabeled
fish. According to Oceana, tuna is mislabeled 59% of the time. The group also pointed out
that 84% of white tuna samples were actually escolar, which The Kitchn says is also known
as "snake mackerel." Unfortunately, this can trigger unpleasant digestive problems for
some people that consume larger quantities of mislabeled tuna. While escolar is not considered
toxic, it should not be consumed in servings that weigh more than 6 ounces. In fact, in
Canada, Denmark, and Sweden, escolar is sold with a warning label.
To its credit, Subway's sandwich artists say there is no way of knowing whether a pack
of tuna is just that, because it arrives at the facility pressed and in a vacuum sealed
container. When the containers are opened, they reveal flaky fish which are then mixed
with mayo. Seafood experts say there is no reason for a sandwich chain like Subway to
mislabel its ingredients. When asked to comment on the matter, President of Catalina Offshore
Products, Dave Rudie, told "The New York Times,"
"I don't think a sandwich place would intentionally mislabel. They're buying a can of tuna that
says 'tuna'. If there's any fraud in this case, it happened at the cannery."
This would not be the first time lab tests on Subway's popular tuna sandwiches have shown
the filling to be anything but tuna. Subway is being sued by complainants, who say that
the restaurant is deliberately misleading its diners by marking the sandwich filling
as tuna when it isn't. The lawsuit alleges that their lab tests revealed that what Subway
called "tuna" was actually, quote, "a mixture of various concoctions that do not constitute
tuna, yet have been blended together by defendants to imitate the appearance of tuna." But it
doesn't always happen this way, other lab tests conducted by Inside Edition showed the
tuna sandwiches to be what they said they were. And, of course, it's also worth noting
this sentence in the New York Times piece that kicked everything off:
"Once tuna has been cooked, its DNA becomes denatured - meaning that the fish’s characteristic
properties have likely been destroyed, making it difficult, if not impossible, to identify."
Still, in the event that there is some kind of fraud taking place, Subway can likely be
seen as a victim, rather than the perpetrator. Director of Ending Illegal Fishing Project,
Peter Horn, told the publication,
"In the defense of Subway, or quite a lot of these fishmongers, the further you get
the fish from the bone, the harder it is to recognize what that fish is."
Horn explained that while fish can be easily recognized with their heads, tails, and skin
intact, the identification process becomes more difficult as these are stripped away.
Another thing that might be to blame for Subway's unidentifiable tuna? Cheap prices. As the
cost of ingredients increases, companies often cut corners to keep their prices the same.
As Horn explained,
"[...]something, somewhere is going to be exploited, whether that's people or the ocean
- probably both."
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