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SUBWAY(R) Restaurants Take Sodium Levels to Heart

By: Subway |  1,014 Shares     160 Reads

Restaurant Removes 450 Tons of Sodium Off the Streets

MILFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SUBWAY® restaurants, the world's largest restaurant chain, announced today a 28 percent reduction of sodium in SUBWAY FRESH FIT®sandwich choices. This effort further demonstrates how SUBWAY®has been a long-time proponent of healthier food choices and committed to leading the industry in offering better-for-you selections. In addition to the sodium reductions on the SUBWAY FRESH FIT®menu, the brand has removed 15 percent of sodium across the board in its core sandwiches to provide customers more nutritious options and help lower sodium intake on a national scale. The reduced sodium offerings will eliminate 450 tons of sodium, each year compared to sodium levels three years ago.

According to the Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on high blood pressure and cholesterol, one in three adults has high blood pressure and an adult dies of cardiovascular disease, stroke, or heart attack every 39 seconds. As a contributor to high blood pressure, reduced sodium intake can help reduce risk of health problems including stroke, kidney damage and heart attack.

With the creation of the SUBWAY FRESH FIT ® menu in 2007, the brand has made choosing a nutritious meal easier for adults and children. These meal choices provide low fat and low saturated fat alternatives with personalized sandwich combinations, fresh vegetables, nutritious sides of apples, yogurt, or Baked! LAY'S® Potato Crisps, and a selection of low-fat milk, diet soda, bottled water or other beverage.

"Through the years, consumers have looked to SUBWAY for fresh and healthier food options," said Tony Pace, SUBWAY® Franchisee Advertising Fund Chief Marketing Officer. "In a continual effort to exceed their expectations, we felt it was important to take this leadership role in terms of sodium reduction. This is another manifestation of SUBWAY's mission to provide consumers with an abundance of made-to-order, flavorful and nutritious choices that they'll enjoy eating."

The announced reductions show SUBWAY®'s commitment to support the National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI). The brand has already met the 2012 sodium benchmarks and will meet the 2014 benchmarks set forth. SUBWAY® is working on future sodium reductions as well as identifying opportunities to further enhance its nutritious offerings.

"Sodium plays an important role in proper nutrition; but since most adults consume well over the recommended limit of salt each day, people of all ages and health levels can benefit reducing their sodium," said Lanette Kovachi, M.S., R.D, corporate dietician for SUBWAY®. "Reducing the sodium intake can play an important role in reducing risk factors that can lead to heart disease."

"Increasing physical activity and eating healthy are the best ways to prevent heart disease and stroke," said Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., American Heart Association president. "We recognize and appreciate SUBWAY®'s actions in reducing sodium levels – an important part of our new dietary goals - that help advance the American Heart Association's 2020 goal to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans and reduce deaths from cardiac diseases and stroke."

SUBWAY® has a long history of supporting organizations and initiatives that educate on the importance of heart health. In addition to the restaurant's decade-long relationship with the American Heart Association, SUBWAY® supports The Heart Truth campaign and announced a new sponsorship with the American College of Cardiology in April in support of its CardioSmart National Care Initiative to promote awareness and heart healthiness.

"Having healthier food options available for people when they are eating away from home helps them to choose healthier lifestyles," said David Holmes, M.D., President of the American College of Cardiology. "When our partner organizations bring their sponsorship to life, like what SUBWAY®has done in reducing sodium levels, it allows us to engage more people and improve heart health at a national level."

The SUBWAY® menu allows consumers to personalize their meals to meet the nutritional needs and taste they desire. Each sandwich made to standard formula provides two full servings of fresh vegetables, 20 percent daily value of vitamin D, 30 percent daily value of calcium, essential nutrients vitamin A and iron, are free of artificial trans fat, are rich in complex carbohydrates and, excluding the Veggie Delite®, are a good source of protein. When made on 9-Grain Wheat or Honey Oat bread, each sandwich contains at least 20 percent daily value of fiber. For consumers watching their calorie and fat intake, SUBWAY®features at least 40 meals with less than 600 calories and 8 sandwiches under 6 grams of fat.

For more information on the SUBWAY FRESH FIT® choices or other menu options, visit www.subwayfreshbuzz.com.

About SUBWAY® Restaurants

Headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, and with regional offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Brisbane, Miami and Singapore, the SUBWAY®chain was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. Their partnership, which continues today, marked the beginning of a remarkable journey - one that has made it possible for thousands of individuals to build and succeed in their own business. In the 2010 Zagat® Fast Food Survey, the SUBWAY® brand was ranked "number one" by consumers in the "Most Popular," "Top Service" and "Healthy Options" categories for food brands with 5,000 or more locations. For more information about the SUBWAY® chain, visit www.subway.com. Find us on Facebook: Facebook.com/subway. Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/subwayfreshbuzz. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor's Associates Inc.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America's No. 1 and No. 3 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or join us, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or any of our offices around the country, or visit heart.org.

About the American College of Cardiology

The American College of Cardiology is transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health through continuous quality improvement, patient-centered care, payment innovation and professionalism. The College is a 39,000-member nonprofit medical society comprised of physicians, surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists and practice managers, and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet its stringent qualifications. The College is a leader in the formulation of health policy, standards and guidelines, and is a staunch supporter of cardiovascular research. The ACC provides professional education and operates national registries for the measurement and improvement of quality care. More information about the association is available online at http://www.cardiosource.org/ACC.

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