Subway vows to remove controversial chemical from bread

Subway is the latest food company to ban a controversial chemical in its products after public pressure suggesting it is unsafe according to scientific research.

Following the launch of a petition by well-known food blogger Vani Hari, the fast food giant pledged to remove azodicarbonamide, a chemical used in yoga mats and shoe rubber, from its bread products in North America.

"We are already in the process of removing azodicarbonamide from our bread as part of our bread improvement process," Subway says on their company Facebook page.

The chemical is not used in other markets, such as Europe and Australia, where it is banned. However, it is currently being used in Canada and the United States where it is legal.

The World Health Organization has linked the chemical additive -- used as a bleaching agent in Subway's bread -- to respiratory issues, allergies and asthma.

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Hari, who runs FoodBabe.com, challenged Subway to discontinue the use of azodicarbonamide in a online petition that currently has over 65,000 signatures.

She says while other food companies use the controversial chemical, she specifically targeted Subway because of the way they brand themselves as a healthy company by endorsing Olympic athletes and using the slogan "Eat Fresh!"

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This is the second time Hari has seen success from one of her widely-publicized petitions. In October 2013, Kraft announced its plans to remove yellow dyes from several of its macaroni and cheese products following her petition suggesting the dyes may be carcinogenic.

And in Feb 2013, public pressure put on PepsiCo caused the soda giant to remove brominated vegetable oil, a supposed flame retardant, from its Gatorade beverages.