Subway Tests a Gluten-Free Sandwich in Dallas

• Hey Goofman...Where did you go to medical school. Celiac is not a convienent affliction...it is a real problem for those who have it...it is not the latest fashion in medical illnesses...it is real.  I have 2 daughters who have it and one more severe then the other...google some articles and read up goofman before you make such ignorant assumptions...YOU IDIOT!!!!

• I love this! I don't have Celiac but since a bout with a horrible virus I've been diagnosed with UC and I now have a hard time digesting gluten. It would just be great to get a sandwich when I'm out. I've missed the ease of grabbing a bite to eat!

• I live in colorado when I went to texas I had gluten free sandwich and it was the best

• @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "Gill Sans"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom: 0in; } Have you tried Subway's Gluten-Free menu in DFW, yet? Here’s a $1 off coupon (http://ow.ly/i/gYRE) - give it a shot, let ‘em know what you think!  

• I woek at a subway in georgia. I am trying to get gluten free bread in my store. I have celiac disease and I know how hard it is to have gluten intolerances. It is going to be very difficult to pull this off as far as cross contaimination wise, but with proper training and separation of gluten free and gluten contaminated products I believe it can be successful. Hopefully. :)

• Does Subway serve gluten free breads in all their restaurants.

• I miss the subway test; the roll and brownie are delicious as well. I’m also pretty sure that the test is successful and more restaurants will follow suit. Thanks for sharing this topics and comments.

• this is a real disease and not a food fad. i was at the end stages of wasting from malnutrition when i was diagnosed a few months ago. i would do anything to eat wheat(gluten) foods. I miss pasta, bread,crackers,cake pie cookies etc... please understand this is very hard and it is real!!!!!!

• I live in Lacey, Washington and just heard about the gluten free subway sandwich in Dalles, Texas. I personally liked subway before I found that I had celiac. I look forward to the day I can order a gluten free subway sandwich. Patti

• I completely agree with you and would never take my kids there unless they provided some logical plan to eliminate cross-contamination. I used to work at Subway and have vivid memories of how the veggie bins looked when they were empty--bread crumbs, cheese bits, and pepper flakes at the bottom. Subway's a "franchise" which means that sometimes owners don't hire enough workers and the only option is for the "sandwich artist" to become more efficient. Hence, bread crumbs flying around when you have a line of hungry customers waiting on their food. Sure, I'll stop by with my kids to order a soft drink and some pre-packaged brownies (if the label states that they're manufactured in an allergen-safe facility), but no sandwiches for us, yet. I want to show financial support for their efforts, but the "start-to-finish" method is not enough to eliminate cross-contamination.

• I tried the Subway gluten free bread today. It tasted very much like a "normal" hamburger bun. I enjoyed it and definitely thought it tasted above average for gluten free. It was nice to feel semi-normal being able to order a sandwich like everyone else. They washed their hands and used a plastic knife to cut it. The big problem I saw was when they cleaned the line. They brushed all of the gluten filled bread crumbs right into the first row of meats. I wouldn't eat anything off of the first (and maybe even second) row of meats, if you are very sensitive. I got chicken from the row furthest from the line and I haven't had any signs of getting sick yet.

• I hope more restaurants will follow suit. I love the places that are aware enough to have gluten free food available. Gluten probs affect 1 out of 100.

• You have a shot. Celiac's have nothing. Not trying tobe rude just stating a fact.

• Can't wait to have a Subway come our way, I have Celiac Disease and eating out is extremely difficult in many ways. Good Job Subway!!!!

• food science major, she needs to read a little more, food consumed by people and too much. NOT! Celiac Disease is genetic. Consuming to much wheat? What? She is wasting money on an education that is not teaching her well. Gluten sensitive people have DNA issues like Celiac, or Blood disorders. NOT too much intake.

• Yea! That Subway is close to work so I will definitely be trying it soon.

• I think what the vast majority of people suffer is what you describe - gluten sensitivity. It does seem to be a lot of hype for the most part, and I think a lot of it is mental. Obviously, some people have serious allergies, just like with peanuts, casein, etc. But if I were unable to eat a sandwich because it was touched with a glove that also touched regular bread, I think I would probably never leave the house

• I just got back. Had to try it out as soon as I heard. I went to the location on TI Blvd in Richardson. I asked about the gluten free bread and she said they had it. She went to the back and returned with a separately wrapped six inch bun. When she brought it out to begin preparing my sandwich, she told the others to stand back from the counter for a moment. She put paper down on the counter, changed gloves, and cut the bread with a plastic knife that had been in plastic. She placed the bread on paper on a tray to place in the oven. On the glass in front of the toppings, there was a list of gluten free selections and chips. She again told the others to stand back from the counter as she put the toppings on my sandwich. And the result - it tastes great! I also ordered the gluten free brownie which was prepackaged and made by the French Meadow Bakery and it was extremely yummy. I am impressed! Good job, Subway!!!

• That may explain gluten intolerance or sensitivity, but celiac is a genetic disease and does not happen simply because of excess processed foods. It's been around for ages. It has only been recently that doctors are taking it seriously with anyone but the rail thin... the malnutrition Celiac causes can manifest in so many ways from mental illness to physical problems, thyroid issues, and cancer.

• The reason it is news is that instead of hundreds of unique varieties of wheat, we are down to basically just one generic wheat, and that one kind of wheat is used as a filler in thousands of foods which you wouldn't expect to have wheat in them. So if you just eat what is put in front of you, you overdose on this one kind of wheat and that is why so many people are developing severe wheat allergies and celiac. People with wheat allergies get blisters on their skin and other problems, and people with celiac have their digestive tract destroyed. In both cases, it is very painful. So yes, it is news.

• Will it be milk free also?

• I wonder how it will taste. I have a friend who was a food science major. I asked her why people become gluten intolerant when whole grains are so good for you. She said that if people consume too much refined flour products, there is a tendency to become gluten sensitive. If you have been using white flour your whole life and your parents and grandparents also did, then you probably have a high tendency to become gluten sensitive. I've also heard that it's reversible with a raw vegan diet and sprouts.

• I have to say that I stumbled upon this last week. I was going to get food for my husband and I (only my daughter is celiac). There was a flyer attached to the glass at the beginning of the line showing what the 'gluten-free' meats and condiments were.. then below there was a standard blurb about the bread being gluten-free with warning about cross-contamination etc. However, with that said, when I asked "Do you actually have Gluten-free bread"? I was pleasantly surprised with the response from the person behind the counter. He showed that the bread was both individually wrapped and stored separately. He explained that a separate knive would be used and the person would work on 'only that sandwhich' (FYI.. he changed his gloves).. He also said that they were instructed to take the meat from the bottom of the stack and if necessary get the ingredients from the 'back' to keep from getting crumbs. He didn't mention this, but It appeared that they had a separate 'mat' that they put the sandwich on to put it in the oven for heating. I felt that the employee was knowledgable about what was required. He commented that he hadn't previously been aware of the severity of the issue that people had. Even after wrapping the sandwhich, he put it in a separate bag from the rest of my order.

• I see that, but if they are claiming to eliminate cross-contamination, are they going to use different veggie containers etc? When a glove touches a normal roll, and that glove then touches the lettuce, the lettuce is then cross contaminated. How is Subway eliminating this? using tongs is a possibility, but then the tongs are contaminated, unless they are used only once each time a sandwich is made. It seems like Subway is making big claims without thinking this through completely.

• Uh, they use the same gloves to touch the gluten bread as they use to touch the sandwich fixins. There's no way the sandwich can be Celiac safe, even with GF bread.

• All Subway gluten-free rolls and brownies being used during the test come prepackaged and individually wrapped. Sandwich Artists are instructed through a tutorial video to cut the roll with a pre-wrapped knife and only use once. The same sandwich artist will prepare the order from beginning to end, so only one set of hands will touch the sandwich, eliminating cross contamination. The process is very thorough to ensure a 100% gluten-free product. Extra measures are taken to ensure gluten does not contaminate other foodstuff such as meat, cheese, and vegetables. http://www.celiac.com/blogs/259/Subway-Restaurants-Announces-Gluten-Free-Rolls-amp-Brownie-Test-Marketing.html

• How about sugar-free brownies for diabetics? They're are plenty of people who would be brought into the store with something like that.

• How exactly they are going to create more space in their restaurants is my concern. They would need separate ovens, a separate workspace, and separate vegetables/meats (ones that haven't been touched after handling the regular bread).

• Dee / Bobby: My apologies if the comment came across as making light of the condition - not the intent. (I have a wife with a dairy allergy - understand the issues/challenges accompanying similar situations.) I suppose I meant to call attention to the fact that, in my mind, this has become the Big Business Marketing Opportunity du jour... an understandable need that, through relentless corporate one-upsmanship and OVER-exposure (for fear of being behind the curve), ultimately leaves the general public worn out, sick of hearing about, and entirely unsympathetic for that very reason. Take are, y'all!

• I agree with you Dee, too many people think Celiac is a fad. I have Celiac and it really is hard to find food products without gluten. It is very hard to take a trip and find any fast food restaurants. Give it a try Goofman, then maybe you can support this effort that Subway is doing. Cross contamination will be an issue, but it sounds like they are aware of it and can control it, like other good restaurants. I hope they are succesfull.

• Employees need strong training in cross contamination. Thet cannot put a gluten roll on the same surface as the regular roll etc. They need to know which dressings etc. are gluten free

• Goofman, Good name for you! This is something serious that people who have family with it are very concerned about! Maybe you should get it to see how hard it is to find foods at restaurants without wheat! For my son I say you are really the goof you say you are!

• I swear Celiac Disease has become the disease / condition / malady / affliction du jour much like ADD/ADHD was a few years back. How much longer 'til Newsweek has a picture of a loaf of bread on its cover and a headline screaming about gluten?

• All the additional prep sounds like they are going to add more to the price.

• Cant' wait for this. We were a part of the test market. The rolls are great and the brownies as well. They are training their staff on cross contamination. Sure hope this is successful and goes nation wide. David

• The way the crumbs fly at Subway when they cut bread and move stuff around, I'd never feel safe eating anything there.

• Gluten-free in East Texas huh? This will not end well.

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