Subway Removes Azodicarbonamide: Impact on Bread Safety and Health Concerns

The Chemical Being Removed from Subway Bread: Azodicarbonamide

Subway is removing azodicarbonamide from its bread because this chemical, used as a dough-conditioning agent, raises consumer concerns despite its low-level usage and breakdown during baking. Azodicarbonamide is a foaming agent that improves bread texture but has become controversial due to media reports and misconceptions.

What Is Azodicarbonamide?

Azodicarbonamide is an additive used in the baking industry. It acts as a dough conditioner and whitener, improving the elasticity and rise of bread dough. Though it is also used in products like yoga mats, the quantities in bread are minimal and fundamentally different from industrial applications.

Concentration and Regulation in Bread

• The maximum allowed concentration of azodicarbonamide in bread dough is 45 parts per million (ppm), or 45 milligrams per kilogram.
• It is only present in uncooked dough, not in the baked bread.

These low concentrations are strictly regulated to ensure safety for consumers.

Decomposition During Baking

Azodicarbonamide is unstable when exposed to heat. During baking, it decomposes completely, leaving no residual chemical in the final bread. This decomposition produces biurea, a compound not toxic to humans because it is quickly eliminated through excretion.

Toxicological and Safety Considerations

1. High concentrations (several percent or more) of azodicarbonamide are harmful and can cause asthma and skin reactions.
2. At the low levels allowed in bread dough, the compound poses no safety risk.
3. The risk of respiratory issues is relevant only with exposure to high industrial concentrations, not from eating baked bread.

Why the Removal?

Despite evidence showing negligible health risks at permitted levels, public perception and media exaggerated the dangers of azodicarbonamide in bread. Subway’s removal of the chemical reflects consumer demand for cleaner labels and transparency rather than a response to identified health hazards.

Key Takeaways

• Azodicarbonamide is used as a dough conditioner, allowed at very low levels in uncooked bread dough.
• It decomposes completely during baking, leaving no residue in bread.
• Its decomposition product, biurea, is not toxic to humans.
• Health risks appear only at much higher industrial exposures, not from bread consumption.
• Subway is removing it due to public concern and preference, not proven safety issues.