By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

The Vegetarian Resource Group recently received a request from an online reader about Domino’s Pizza Ingredients.

So we reached out to Spencer Breidinger, Manager of Global Product Quality and Regulatory Compliance – Supply Chain Services at Domino’s. We asked him about the dough conditioner L-cysteine present in most of their crusts:

“Is L-cysteine in your pizza crust dough derived from feathers or hair? If not, what is the source of L-cysteine?”

(Readers should note, as we’ve reported in articles over the years, that most L-cysteine in commercial food products today is derived from poultry feathers or human hair.)

Spencer Breidinger replied:

“…All L-cysteine in any dough product is synthetic and not derived from any animal sources. This has been our standard for over 20 years.”

The VRG followed up by asking for more clarification on the term “synthetic” as it relates to L-cysteine.

In response, Spencer forwarded us a statement dated January 15, 2020, from Steve Lutes, VP Global QA & Health/Safety at Domino’s Pizza. Here it is in its entirety:

“The L-cysteine and enzymes in all our dough and crust varieties are microbial and/or vegetable-sourced. We do not source these ingredients from animal sources. Our dough does contain sweet dairy whey, which is a derivative from cow’s milk. Our gluten-free crust does not contain L-cysteine or any of the 8 FDA-recognized allergens, including milk. While there is no animal by-product (other than whey) in any of our crusts, we do have products in our stores which contain them (such as pepperoni and cheese). We make all our products in the same kitchens; and even as clean as we keep them, there may be those items present. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that pizzas made are entirely free from animal by-product.”

Readers with additional questions about menu items or ingredients at Domino’s should contact the restaurant chain directly.

For information about other chains, see https://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php

For information on veg restaurants, go to https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

“Vegetable L-Cysteine”?
Companies which use non-animal sourced L-cysteine may wish to distinguish themselves from the majority of companies which use feather- or hair-derived L-cysteine. So for marketing purposes they will state on their labels that they use “vegetable” or “vegetarian” L-cysteine.

Kontos® Foods
For example, The VRG recently saw this: http://www.kontos.com/product/pocket-less-pita-white-3/

We asked Kontos what the source of their vegetable L-cysteine is.
We were told by their executive chef that they were currently testing several L-cysteine alternatives and planned to remove L-cysteine entirely from Kontos’ products by August 2018.

He described the replacement process to us saying that removing one ingredient and replacing it with another influences how other ingredients work (or don’t work) in the recipe. Achieving a balance so that one ingredient is not “fighting” with another takes time.

We were told that besides vegetarians, people inquire about L-cysteine for religious reasons. He hopes that removing L-cysteine from their recipe will provide assurance to everyone who asks about their source that their bread is vegetarian.

The Chef followed up with a letter which states:
Regarding the request for information of the L-Cysteine, utilized by our company in the manufacture of our Flatbreads.

Providing individuals and/or companies, with the brand and/or source(s) of the raw ingredients used in our manufacturing process, is proprietary, and therefore, cannot be shared. We would however point out; our ingredients are audited, and manufacturing process is inspected by two (2) Certification Agencies; a Kosher Certifier and a Halal Certifier, simultaneously. With respect to our Flatbread, as they are both Pareve and Halal, they are clearly 100% Vegetarian. We do not classify them as vegan, as there is no set ‘standard’ available, which would provide a clear definition.”

Five Star® Gourmet Foods
The VRG also contacted Five Star about the “vegetable L-cysteine” listed on their Mediterranean Falafel + Hummus product:
http://fivestargourmetfoods.com/products/mm2g-mediterraneanfalafel-hummus/

We heard back from YoungAe Zhang, R&D/QA Supervisor at Five Star. He wrote in April 2018:
“We apologize for late reply – we reached out to our supplier for this information and this took a while…Unfortunately, the source of L-cysteine was not shared with us since it is proprietary information…However, our supplier has shared that this ingredient is kosher & halal certified & 100% vegetarian…”

In a follow-up email, Young wrote:
“This product is not in stores as of right now…Unfortunately, there is no set date as of today. We’ll contact you when we have an update.”

“Vegetarian L-cysteine” is Redundant & Ambiguous
Concerned consumers should check with the company selling products with L-cysteine labeled in this manner to identify its source.

The term “vegetarian L-cysteine” is redundant. Even L-cysteine derived from hair or poultry feathers is technically vegetarian because it is not derived from edible meat, fish or poultry (including their byproducts).

This term is ambiguous because it gives the impression that some L-cysteine is non-vegetarian (which technically is not true). L-cysteine derived from feathers is not vegan but it is vegetarian.

L-cysteine from human hair would also be vegetarian. In 2010, we were told that hog hair could be used as a source of L-cysteine. The Orthodox Union states, “it is the OU’s position that l-cysteine derived from human hair is acceptable.” See https://oukosher.org/blog/consumer-kosher/what-could-be-wrong-with-l-cysteine/

In other words, the phrase “vegetarian L-cysteine” is not meaningful and does not tell us product source information.

However, companies or suppliers who state it in this manner believe they are providing source information. The VRG assumes the companies mean that their L-cysteine source is microbial. It would be clearer if they just declared it as “microbial L-cysteine.” Or, we hope they would at least tell us their source rather than claim it is “proprietary” when we inquire. Some restaurant chains have revealed their source (both microbial and feather- or hair-derived). We hope all companies using L-cysteine would do so as well. (Petrochemically-derived L-cysteine, which would be considered vegan, is no longer being commercially produced today.)

“Vegetable L-Cysteine” Is Scientifically Inaccurate
The term “vegetable L-cysteine” suggests that its source is vegetable. For instance a restaurant chain told us (but later retracted it) in 2017 that their L-cysteine source was sugar beets. Vegetables are unlikely commercial L-cysteine sources. (L-cysteine is a type of amino acid which is found in protein.)

In 2017, we asked Joel White, General Manager at Ajinomoto®, a major manufacturer of microbial L-cysteine, if L-cysteine is ever commercially extracted from sugar beets. He replied:
“Cysteine is not extracted from sugar beets. They are most likely buying product produced from fermentation by Waker® at their plant in Slovakia. They use sugar beets as their glucose source for fermentation. It is common for fermentation companies to reference vegetable source on their Country of Origin [statement].”

For information on other ingredients, see https://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgement about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

By Jeanne Yacoubous, MS

L-cysteine was approved in Australia and New Zealand in 2016 as an anti-browning agent for avocados and bananas. http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/applications/Documents/A1117%20L-cysteine%20as%20a%20FA%20AppR.pdf

Experimental work on L-cysteine as an effective anti-browning agent has been done in the US since the 1950s (See p. 12 here: https://www.scribd.com/document/334501978/Fresh-Cut-Fruits).

As of 2018 L-cysteine is approved by the FDA only as a dough conditioner and is granted Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status at approved levels in foods only for this purpose. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=184.1271.

According to one source (http://www.google.la/patents/US20080032010; paragraph labeled “0011” under subtitle “Description”) using L-cysteine as an anti-browning agent for fresh cut fruits and vegetables “is commonly used in the produce industry…”

The paragraph from which this is taken states in its entirety: “Another method, described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,926 issued to Wrolstad et al. may use antibrowning/antioxidant compounds, specifically an L-cysteine and glutathione derivative, as isolated from pineapple juice, and pineapple processing plants. L-cysteine is commonly used in the produce industry as an anti-browning compound.”

Here is the patent cited in the previous paragraph of experimental work on L-cysteine as an anti-browning agent: https://www.google.com/patents/US6224926.
[Readers should note that information found online, especially for patents granted at the experimental level, may not always translate into commercial use. Years later, the patented procedures may still not be standard manufacturing practice on an industrial scale. L-cysteine used as an anti-browning agent is a case in point as evidenced below in the following sections. Always inquire of the company when in doubt.]

US Companies
As of March 2018, The Vegetarian Resource Group has not identified any pre-cut produce companies using L-cysteine today as an anti-browning agent in the US although we have contacted several.

We emailed Steve, Director of Sales from Bix® Produce Company, http://www.bixproduce.com/ who told us that they do not use L-cysteine.

The VRG called USA Produce® http://usa-produce.com/ who said that they do not use L-cysteine.

Nino’s Fresh Cut Fruit and Vegetables®, http://www.ninosfreshcut.com/ initially said “We use nothing but water.” When we pursued this by proposing some common anti-browning agents, The VRG learned that Nino’s uses NatureSeal® products (see below), ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), chlorine dioxide and sodium bisulfite. [VRG Note: All of these anti-browning agents are corn- or mineral-based.]

Go Fresh® Pre-cut Fruits and Vegetables http://www.gofresh-precut.com/ and Heart of the Harvest® Fresh Cut Produce http://www.heartoftheharvest.net/pages/veggie-list.php told us that they use an EcoLab® product called Tsunami 100®. According to page 2 of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) on Tsunami 100, it contains non-animal hazardous ingredients.
https://portal.ecolab.com/servlet/PdfServlet?sid=984484-12&cntry=US&langid=en-US&langtype=RFC1766LangCode&locale=en_US&pdfname=TSUNAMI100
[VRG Note: A SDS lists only “hazardous” ingredients; it does not list them all. The VRG called EcoLab to find out more information but was informed that since The VRG is not a paying customer, further information could not be given.]

International Companies
Orgacure®
The VRG communicated with Roger Bierwas, CEO of Orgacure, about their FreshCut® product used as an antimicrobial and anti-browning agent. Roger was writing from the Netherlands. http://orgacure.com/freshcut/convenience/

We wanted to know about his experience with L-cysteine used as an anti-browning agent. Here is what we learned:
The VRG: Do you use L-cysteine in your anti-browning products?
Orgacure: We did trial cysteine some time ago but it developed an aftertaste on washed produce. Our scope with Orgacure is to provide a solution which does antimicrobial and anti-browning at the same time…to achieve an optimal…shelf-life…keeping the native taste of the fresh food with virtual no residues left…Another reason for not using cysteine for anti-browning is that the substance is in general of animal origin which would be a problematic issue with some of our customers as they have to comply with strict vegetarian, vegan or religious (halal) food standards.

AgriCoat NatureSeal® Ltd.
The VRG also corresponded with AgriCoat NatureSeal Ltd. General Manager Simon Matthews about L-cysteine as an anti-browning agent. He was writing from the UK. https://www.natureseal.com/
The VRG: Do you use L-cysteine in any of your anti-browning products? On which foods? In which countries?
AgriCoat NatureSeal: Our company offers a range of products, co-developed originally with the USDA, under the brand name NatureSeal designed to maintain shelf life in fresh cut fruits and vegetables. We offer a dozen or so different blends, based on various food approved ingredients.

AgriCoat NatureSeal Ltd. is the British subsidiary of NatureSeal Inc…I note the nature of your organisation and wish to be as helpful and reassuring as possible. I can confirm that we offer NatureSeal products that are suitable for vegetarians and vegans…
I note that you have a specific question regarding the amino acid L-cysteine. This is an ingredient which is well documented for use in controlling enzymatic browning. Working with natural produce, we understand that many consumers expect fresh cut produce, by its very nature, to be suitable for vegetarians (if not always vegan). With that in mind to meet vegetarian requirements we would use L-cysteine that is manufactured synthetically. This source is acceptable to vegetarians and vegans. We are aware that cysteine derived as a by-product of animal hair/bristles/feathers is not acceptable and I hope this affords you with the reassurances you seek.

As mentioned, although I cannot disclose customers or their uses we support NatureSeal customers across UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Food Freshly®
The VRG also corresponded with Benjamin Singh, Director of Technical Sales with Food Freshly http://foodfreshly.net/ about their products. He was writing from Germany.
The VRG: Do you use L-cysteine in any of your anti-browning products? On which foods? In which countries?
Food Freshly: We don’t use L-cysteine in our products because our products are to be applied on fresh-cut produce. The application of L-cysteine on fresh-cut produce is not permitted in most countries.
The VRG: It appears that L-cysteine on fresh-cut produce is permitted in Australia and New Zealand. But can you confirm that your products in those countries are anti-browning agents NOT containing L-cysteine? I haven’t heard about this in the US – maybe you have?
Food Freshly: Thanks for the update. I will have our compliance people evaluate this. As far as we are concerned, L-cysteine doesn’t have permission to be used on fresh-cut produce in the US. Our product range is completely free of L-Cysteine in all countries.

M-TEchX®
We also emailed M-TEchX about their anti-browning agents and received a reply from Kanji Morishima. http://mtechx.co.jp/eng/portfolio/mx-gk01/
The VRG: Does your anti-browning agent contain L-cysteine or whey?
M-TEchX: …Our product, food formulation about anti-browning of avocado… [I]t doesn’t contain L-cysteine nor whey at all. But it contains protein very little, just for your information…
The VRG: Is it plant protein? Or animal protein? Can you tell me its name?
M-TEchX: …We cannot disclose the name without NDA. But it is plant protein, not animal one. [VRG Note: “NDA” stands for “non-disclosure agreement.”]

For more ingredient information, see http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

CJ CheilJedang has announced the launch of L-cysteine using raw sugar and glucose as raw materials, “while the majority of manufacturers in the market are using” a process that starts with duck feather as a raw material. The company noted that there was an unstable supply of L-cysteine due to reinforcement of the governmental regulations in China. L-cysteine and its derivatives are used for reaction flavors, bakery, and pet food items. See:
http://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/news/CJ-CheilJedang-Launches-Fermented-L-Cysteine-Through-Sustainable-Technology?type=article

Food Standards Australia New Zealand received an application from Link Trading Pty LTD seeking approval for extension of use of L-cysteine monohydrochloride (known as L-cysteine) as a food additive in reducing browning of fresh cut avocado and banana, and thus to extend their shelf-life.

Food Standards stated “There are a number of ways to commercially manufacture the food additive L-cysteine; some methods source the raw material from natural sources such as feathers or hair before further processing steps are undertaken.”The Applicant confirmed that the L-cysteine it uses is synthetically produced and not from natural sources.

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

For more ingredient information, see http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

White Castle, the oldest American hamburger chain begun in 1921 now with nearly 400 locations in twelve states, introduced a Veggie Slider in December 2014. http://www.whitecastle.com/about/company/news/white-castle-unveils-veggie-slider

At that time and as late as early October 2015 when we checked White Castle’s website ingredient list, the bun on which it was served was not vegan. It contained sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL); diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono- and diglycerides (DATEM); enzymes and L-cysteine, all of which could be animal-derived. It also contained sugar which could have been processed through cow bone char. Here is the complete ingredient statement of the original White Castle bun:

Bun Ingredients: (bleached enriched wheat flour (malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, sugar, soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: yeast, salt, sodium stearoyl lactylate, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides (DATEM), calcium sulfate, enzymes, ascorbic acid, potassium iodate, L-cysteine, azodicarbonamide (ADA).

White Castle stated that the original bun for their Veggie Slider was not vegan: http://static-whitecastle-com.s3.amazonaws.com/HowVeggieSlidersarePrepared.pdf

In response to vegans’ requests, White Castle changed its bun formulation. White Castle’s website stated it this way:

“We received great feedback from some in the vegetarian community requesting this. Since then we’ve been working on just that—a vegan bun. We made the decision to go ahead with the Veggie Slider with the possibility of a vegan bun and hope to offer one soon!”

Here’s White Castle’s Twitter feed on this topic at the Veggie Slider’s debut showing several vegan bun requests and the restaurant chain’s intention to create a vegan bun: https://twitter.com/WhiteCastle/status/550064410568708097

Here are the first online mentions of the vegan bun’s debut in restaurants. White Castle responded in the second link:

https://twitter.com/veganxpress

https://twitter.com/LazyGirlVegan/statuses/651583250046001152

In December 2015 when The VRG reviewed the White Castle website for this article, the ingredient statement (posted with an effective date of October 2015) for the only bun appearing in the entire ingredient list read as follows:

Traditional Bun:

enriched bleached wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup, salt, soybean oil, contains 2% or less of each of the following: yeast, calcium stearoyl lactylate (CSL), guar gum, monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, sodium alginate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), enzymes.

We note the absence of L-cysteine and sugar in the new bun in comparison with the original bun. L-cysteine is most often derived from duck feathers although non-animal-derived L-cysteine is commercially available. Sugar may be of concern to vegans who avoid cane sugar that had been whitened using cow bone char. Most cane sugar processed today in the US is processed this way. Sugar beets and USDA Organic cane sugar are not.

Knowing that monoglycerides and enzymes could be animal-derived and calcium stearoyl lactylate could be animal- and/or dairy-derived, The VRG called White Castle specifically about these ingredients.

Monique on the customer service line in December 2015 confirmed that the “Traditional Bun” listed in the ingredient statement is the bun used for the Veggie Slider. She told us that she didn’t have more ingredient source information but would research it and get back to us.

The next day we received an email reply from Jason Suitt Quality Assurance and Research & Development Manager at White Castle. He wrote:

“Thank you for your recent inquiry as to whether the enzymes in our buns used on our Veggie Sliders are derived from animal sources. Back in August of this year, we reformulated our buns to remove all animal byproducts, so that they now may be considered vegan. That said, please keep in mind that the buns and veggie patties are prepared in a common kitchen, so they may occasionally come into contact with non-vegan items. Thank you again for your inquiry, and please let me know if you have any other questions.”

Since Jason didn’t refer to the monoglycerides and calcium stearoyl lactylate in his reply, we left him a phone message about them. He replied promptly by phone stating that: “No animal byproducts including dairy are in the new formula bun…Our bakery division carefully researched all ingredient sources for our bun so it is vegan.”

Readers may also note that the French fries, onion chips, onion rings, and home-style onion rings are all “cooked in the same oil as items that may contain wheat, eggs, milk, soy, fish, shellfish.” According to the White Castle ingredient list the French fries and home-style onion rings appear all-vegetable. The onion rings contain milk and the onion chips contain egg and milk. Not all of these items are available in all locations. See http://static-whitecastle-com.s3.amazonaws.com/WCIngListSept.2015.pdf for more information.

For a White Castle location near you, visit: http://www.whitecastle.com/locations

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, join at http://www.vrg.org/party/index.php

Or donate at www.vrg.org/donate

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

A journalist recently asked us about L-cysteine for an article she was doing on food additives. For others interested in L-cysteine, here’s a summary in question and answer format based on information relayed to us by several food industry employees over the past few years.

Q. Is L-cysteine a softening agent that is used in many types of bread?

A. L-cysteine is best described, (as it is in the FDA’s Code of Federal Regulations), as a dough conditioner or dough strengthener. It makes the dough more manageable, (i.e., able to be stretched out and unlikely to bounce back to its original ball-like state when making a pizza crust, for example).

It is most common in pizza dough and bagels. It may be present in other types of bread products, too.

Q. Can it be derived from hog hair, human hair, and feathers?

A. The major commercial sources of L-cysteine today are Chinese and Indian avian feathers and human hair. Hog’s hair as a source is likely when the hair/feather supply is low. Because the industrial plants needed to extract L-cysteine exist in China, most of the extraction is done there (i.e., it’s too costly for companies to ship feathers/hair and extract it here when the feathers, hair and industrial plants are already there).

Dark hair is richer in L-cysteine than light hair. Although there is no technical difference between L-cysteine derived from feathers versus that derived from human hair, industry sources have told us that human hair-derived L-cysteine is considered better and preferred in Europe.

Q. Is it sometimes, but not always, listed on labels?

A. According to the CFR (http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.4) under paragraph 18, L-cysteine is listed on labels, usually in a parenthetical expression after the term “dough conditioner.” However, it need not be listed if L-cysteine is an ingredient used to make other ingredients which are in a final product. For example, L-cysteine used as a “reaction flavor” (http://askfsis.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/465/related/1 see #7) need not be labeled. Another example is in a pizza kit in which there are individual packets of dough, sauce, and seasonings in a larger box. L-cysteine may be in the dough but not labeled as an ingredient in the kit.

Q. Is it safe (but possibly undesirable) to eat?

A. L-cysteine has GRAS status (Generally Recognized as Safe) http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=184.1271.

FDA considers it safe when used at suggested levels for dough conditioning. Human or animal sources may be undesirable to some people. Synthetic and microbial versions of L-cysteine exist and are used in products with an approximately 10% total market share, but at present are more costly than hair- or feather-derived L-cysteine.

For more information on ingredients, visit http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

For vegetarian- or vegan-related information on a wide variety of topics, please subscribe to our e-newsletter at http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/

To support VRG research, you may donate at http://www.vrg.org/donate

The contents of this article, our website, and our other publications, including the Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company employees or company statements. Information changes and mistakes are always possible. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research or confirmation may be warranted.

University of Maryland Dietetic Interns visited the VRG offices as part of their training. One student had this to say about L-cysteine: http://umdieteticinternship.blogspot.com/2012/05/l-cysteine-in-your-diet-lastweek-my.html.

A reader asked about L-Cysteine not being listed on labels. VRG Researcher Jeanne Yacoubou replied: L-cysteine can in certain situations be in products without it being listed on a label. This is the case, for example, in some prepackaged kits, such as pizza. The premade dough may have L-cysteine but it doesn’t have to be labeled since it’s not part of the finished product. This, and other similar products, could be other likely places for unlabeled L-cysteine.

L-cysteine may also serve as a reaction flavor which is used to make other flavors. Only the latter are in the final product and so only they need to be labeled.

For more information on food ingredients and to purchase our Guide to Food Ingredients, please visit our website at http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

For updates on ingredients and other information of interest to vegetarians and vegans, please subscribe to our free enewsletter on our homepage: www.vrg.org or at; http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/

To support VRG research, you can donate at https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565

The contents of our website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

VRG Research Director

August 5, 2011 – The VRG noticed for the first time in May 2011 that the United States Product Ingredients Statement on Subway’s website indicated that the Flatbread, Italian White Bread, Hearty Italian Bread, Roasted Garlic Bread, and the Nine-Grain Wheat Bread contained vitamin D3. We asked Subway what the source of their vitamin D3 was. Typically vitamin D3 is derived from lanolin (coating on sheep’s wool).

We were informed in May 2011 that the vitamin D3 source was “in transition.” In July 2011, we received word from a senior staff member at Subway that Subway restaurants would carry Flatbread, Italian White Bread, Hearty Italian Bread, Roasted Garlic Bread, and Nine-Grain Wheat Bread containing vitamin D2 “at all locations in a few weeks.” Vitamin D2 is derived from a fungal source.

As of this writing, the Subway website still lists vitamin D3 for these breads. Readers should note the disclaimer at the top of the Ingredients Statement which states that “Every effort is made to keep this information current. However it is possible that ingredient changes and substitutions may occur before this list is updated.”

Although in May 2011, according to its website, Subway’s Flatbread contained L-cysteine, (often derived from human hair or duck feathers), we were informed later in May 2011 that “L-cysteine is no longer in the Flatbread.” It has since been removed from the website Ingredient Statement. Subway patrons may note that the Flatbread contains a milk product.

All other ingredients in the Italian White Bread, Hearty Italian Bread, and Roasted Garlic Bread, are “plant-derived” including several ingredients which, in other food items, are sometimes derived from animal products. In the Italian White Bread, Hearty Italian Bread, and Roasted Garlic Bread, these ingredients include mono- and diglycerides, amylase, and sodium stearoyl lactylate.

Although vegetable-derived sodium stearoyl lactylate and natural flavor are in the Nine-Grain Wheat Bread, this bread contains honey.

Interested readers may also like to know that the mono- and diglycerides in the Wrap and the Sourdough Bread at Subway are all-vegetable. The sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate and amylase in the Sourdough Bread are also vegetable-derived. The Light Wheat English Muffin is all-vegetable.

Besides the all-vegetable Subway bread products described here, all other Subway breads contain milk products or honey. To summarize:

All-Plant Derived Subway Bread Products

Italian White Bread
Hearty Italian White Bread
Light Wheat English Muffin
Roasted Garlic Bread
Sourdough Bread