Subway

[Mazz]

I went to Subexpress today and had one of the Gluten Free Italian Pizza, lovely Pizza, good service, they charged me a £1 extra because it is Gluten Free

[pretender]

I cannot stand the smell of Subway let alone buy products made in such a place that must be the subject of contamination of foods for coeliacs, health being priority over price.

[pretender in reply to pretender]

This not a negative comment it is from a Coeliac who is not on the gluten free diet but is on a gluten/wheat free diet which includes excluding "Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose" which is used as a gluten substitue in GF/WF foods, "Hypromellose" in medications. So yes a cross-contamination would be a big issue for me.

The smell gives me nausea!

[roobiedoobie]

Wow..I didn't know they did anything that was gf..I'll definitely take a look.

And as for the previous negative comment..anything we have could be contaminated..but we have to eat.

If it makes us ill..don't have it again.

I have been having pizza from Domino's and my dietician has been checking my antibodies regularly and it shows no sign of gluten.

[Hidden in reply to roobiedoobie]

I love gluten free pizza from Domino's! I think the dough is much crisper, lighter and tastes far better than their wheaty pizzas.

[tmoxon]

Hi I have never been to Subway, my daughter goes and says some of the food is really nice. I didn't know anything about them providing gluten free food, the dominos and pizza hut GF menus were really heavily publicised/talked about ( in the CD world anyway).

I can understand why pretender is worried about the cross contamination issues as the main foods sold at Subway are bread products however if they have set up a good procedure to avoid cross contamination like they have in Pizza Hut then its great to have another place to eat in my opinion. Perhaps one day we will easily be catered for in all of the chains.

.

[kmminver in reply to tmoxon]

Yes I agree with you & above; at least people are trying!

[Debs11]

Hi My daughter is 22 and still misses "junk food" ocasionally, our local subway are happy to help her & she takes her own gluten free roll and they fill it for her, always wash hands & change gloves before preparing it & its all prepared on the greaseproof paper you take it away with so cross contamination is reduced. They are always young guys working there and seem really keen to help and have stopped laughimg when she brandishes her gluten free baguette at them........!

[kmminver in reply to Debs11]

Great! Like the other person did not realise they did this. Will have to check out! Good to know if you are travelling as well, somewher else to get somthing if your on the move.

[Hidden]

I think it's great that more places are willing to offer food suitable for us. I also think that we do need to be vigilant about cross contamination but in a positive way for these places. It's very new for them to get their heads round. I think most of us took time to get sussed out after diagnosis so we should expect eating establishments to have teething problems at first.

[coeliacvegan]

I quite agree that it's great that more companies are starting to offer gluten-free options, and I feel the £1 supplement isn't a massive price to pay, given that gluten-free products are currently more expensive. As a vegan I am used to paying extra for soya milk in coffee shops, and am happy to do so if it means I can socialise more easily with my non-vegan friends.

One suggestion that I'd like to make is that those of us who do choose to buy gluten-free products in Subway or elsewhere make a point of expressing our delight at being able to do so. The more positive feedback (excuse the pun!) that these organisations receive, the more likely they are to extend their gluten-free menus... and the more likely it is that other companies will follow their lead.

[kmminver in reply to coeliacvegan]

Totally agree! Well done you Mazz for letting us know

[DebsPink]

I really used to love their Teriyaki chicken - definitely have to try this now! Can they toast it as well, is it safe (ish) ?

[trekpole]

Which Subway? Do you know if it is nationwide?

[remysmum]

Fantastic, will remember that

[Elspeth]

Hi Mazz, where do you live? I went to my nearest subway and they have never heard of anything gluten free! Pretty rubbish eh? lol

[LilacPrincess]

I think Subways are franchises . . perhaps up to individual shops & owners what they stock.

Great that the options are increasing :o)

[philaustin]

Sounds like another case of 'localized gluten free outbreak syndrome'.

This is where one person in one town is able to buy something gluten free in one place and everyone assumes that they can do the same wherever they are because they have a branch of the same outlet in their town.

Never fails to disappoint, unfortunately.

[FionaGFG Administrator]

I also feel nauseous anytime I smell a Subway branch and wouldn't consider it healthy food. But as many Coeliacs want 'fast food' choices it's useful for those that crave such choice providing they can get the anti-cross contamination procedures right. And if they do receive positive feedback via emails to the head office then hopefully all small and large food brands will begin to see there is a market for gluten free food on the go.

[Hidden]

I had a bread shop in my town that was part of a large franchise. The owner who,s daughter was coeliac decided she would make gluten free bread 3 times a week. First thing in the morning before normal bread was baked in went the gf bread.

It was great. Then the franchise chain heard about it and made them stop baking. They felt it could hurt the brand name if things went wrong.

[Hidden]

If anyone lives in North Hertfordshire, or visits on a regular basis, there's a brilliant fish and chip shop that offers gluten free options. It's called Cox's. It's nice not to miss out when out with friends.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Sorry forgot to say it's in Letchworth, near the cinema and Morrisons.

[upnabout]

I can only see it as a good thing that companies are prepared to offer g/f options. The devil will always be in the detail of how they handle cross-contamination, but it's a learning curve.

It creates awareness of the issue and offers people with gluten intolerance more options. My cynical side says it all about money, but g/f products are already a cash cow.