Subway sued for defrauding customers of meat and ‘false and misleading advertising’

A newly filed lawsuit has accused Subway of “unfair and deceptive trade practices” and selling its steak-and-cheese sandwiches based on “false and misleading advertising,” which the lawsuit claims gives customers at least three times more meat than is actually in it sit. the product.

The class action complaint against Subway was filed Monday in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York by plaintiff Anna Tollison, accusing Subway of using “photos in its advertisements showing that the Steak & Cheese sandwich approximately at least 200% more meat than the actual sandwiches customers receive,” the lawsuit states.

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“Subway’s advertising of the product is unfair and financially harmful to consumers because they receive a product that is significantly less in value than what is represented,” the lawsuit said. “Subway actions are especially concerning now that inflation, food and meat prices are very high and many consumers, especially lower-income consumers, are struggling financially.”

The lawsuit also says Subway’s promise of a larger share “causes consumers to come to or order from Subway restaurants and make purchases they otherwise would not have made.”

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The lawsuit says it stems from Tollison’s visit to a Subway in Jamaica, New York, on August 23, when she picked up a steak and cheese sandwich after ordering it through Subway’s mobile app for $6.99 plus tax.

“When she picked up her sandwich and began eating, Tollison realized that there was barely any steak in the sandwich and that the photos she relied on were grossly misleading,” the lawsuit said.

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The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for New Yorkers who purchased the sandwiches within the past three years as of October 28, 2021, and alleges “egregious” violations of the state’s consumer protection laws.

This isn’t the first time Subway has faced lawsuits critical of their business. In 2021, the Irish High Court issued a ruling declaring that the bread served in Subway’s hot sandwiches does not actually meet the legal definition of ‘bread’ for the purposes of tax law due to its sugar content, and rather a ‘ confectionery or luxury baked bread’. Good.”

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In that case, Judge Donal O’Donnell of the Irish Supreme Court said that the definition of ‘bread’ was originally established to distinguish between the starches in other baked goods, such as cookies, cakes or brownies, which are sugary and therefore not healthy enough to be considered essential food.

“Subway’s bread is, of course, bread,” Subway said in a statement to ABC News. “We have been baking fresh bread in our stores for more than thirty years and our guests return every day for sandwiches made on bread that smells as good as it tastes.”

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Subway previously defended itself against a lawsuit for more than four years claiming that their “footlong” sandwiches were too short. That case was dismissed in 2017.

Subway sued for defrauding customers of meat and ‘false and misleading advertising’ originally appeared on abcnews.go.com