Subway Bread Chemical Removed: Sandwich Chain Officials Will Fully Phase Out Ingredient Used in Yoga Mats Next Week

Subway will fully phase out a chemical used in yoga mats from its bread by next week, officials from the sandwich chain told USA Today on Friday.

The chemical azodicarbonamide has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and can be found in products from McDonald's and Starbucks. But the bleaching agent and dough conditioner is also used in yoga mats, fake leather and shoe rubber. Food blogger Vani Hari shed light on the ingredient's prevalence in a post on FoodBabe.com earlier this year. Hari then wrote a petition to have the chemical removed from Subway's breads, which the sandwich restaurant said it was already considering getting rid of prior to the request.

Chief Marketing Officer Tony Pace told the Associated Press that the chain will fully complete the removal in the next seven days, adding that the company felt pressure to move quickly following a wave of public backlash.

"You see the social media traffic, and people are happy that we're talking it out, but they want to know when we're taking it out," Pace stated. "If there are people who have that hesitation, that hesitation is going to be removed."

He urged "consumers...who might've had hesitation" to give Subway a shot.

But Pace reiterated that removing the azodicarbonamide from Subway's breads was already in the works prior to Hari's petition. The fast food chain has also reportedly tried out its "Azo-free bread" in four markets this past fall, USA Today reported.

Hari applauded Subway's speedy efforts during an interview with USA Today in February.

"I commend Subway for finally responding to me and now over 58,000 concerned citizens," she said. "Their swift action is a testament to what power petitions and individuals can have."

Other popular restaurants and chains have recently adjusted their ingredients, after certain chemical additives prompted others to write petitions and gain signatures.

According to AP, Starbucks took out a red dye made from crushed bugs called cochineal extract from its products. PepsiCo removed brominated vegetable oil - an ingredient linked to flame retardants - from Gatorade.