Subway sandwich billed as ‘foot long’ is only 11 inches

9:10am Tuesday 5th February 2013 in News By Press reporter

The different-sized Subway sandwiches are compared, with one clearly failing to measure up The different-sized Subway sandwiches are compared, with one clearly failing to measure up

AN international fast food company has apologised after The Press found customers were being shortchanged by their meal deals.

“Foot-long” sandwiches were bought from three Subway outlets in York – in Pavement, Clifford Street and Feasegate – and from the Gowthorpe shop in Selby.

While the sandwiches from the Selby shop, and the outlets in Clifford Street and Pavement all measured the full 12 inches, the sandwich from the Feasegate store was a full inch short, measuring only 11 inches.

A spokeswoman for Subway said: “For 47 years, customer satisfaction has been our top priority.

“We regret any instance where we did not fully deliver on our promise to our customers.

“We freshly bake our bread throughout the day in our more than 38,000 restaurants in 100 countries worldwide, and we have redoubled our efforts to ensure consistency and correct length in every sandwich we serve.

“Our commitment remains steadfast to ensure that every Subway Foot-long sandwich is 12 inches at each location worldwide.”

Recently, an online media frenzy was caused after Matt Corby posted a photo of a foot-long sandwich he had bought from his local Subway in Australia, next to a measuring tape which showed it was only 11 inches long, and asking the company to respond.

The image, which spread on Facebook and Twitter, received thousands of “likes” and re-tweets from around the world, with many customers posting their own, similar pictures.

The company responded to Mr Corby’s picture, informing him the bread was “not baked to our standards”.

As of last week, there were three lawsuits pending against Subway in America, seeking more than five million dollars, or about £3.2 million, on the grounds of false advertising.

Comments(37)

powerwatt says...
9:35am Tue 5 Feb 13

I didn't know they were wanting volunteers for research. I could have happily done that.

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Guy Fawkes says...
9:50am Tue 5 Feb 13

I'm surprised that the EU allows them to sell "foot long" sandwiches. Shouldn't it be a 406.4mm long sandwich?

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Garrowby Turnoff says...
10:07am Tue 5 Feb 13

I was told it was exaggerations involving the '6 inch' version that disappointed some?

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sheps lad says...
10:28am Tue 5 Feb 13

Guy Fawkes wrote:
I'm surprised that the EU allows them to sell "foot long" sandwiches. Shouldn't it be a 406.4mm long sandwich?
406.4mm = 16inches. 306.4 is nearer a foot!

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Ignatius Lumpopo says...
10:41am Tue 5 Feb 13

I measured my head once, and it was eleven inches. Just think: another inch, and my head would have been a foot.

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Big Bad Wolf says...
10:46am Tue 5 Feb 13

Right, off to McD's to weigh some burgers....

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heworth.28 says...
11:22am Tue 5 Feb 13

Common tactic amongst food companies - if the price goes up, people notice, whereas if you reduce the size of it to save costs they generally don't.

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heworth.28 says...
11:23am Tue 5 Feb 13

Big Bad Wolf wrote:
Right, off to McD's to weigh some burgers....
Anyone remember the 'healthier' chicken burger that Burger King introduced about 10 years ago, turned out it was only healthier than the regular one as it was a smaller size...

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NoNewsIsGoodNews says...
11:37am Tue 5 Feb 13

If you look closely at the picture, the top sub is only 9 inches long.

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the andrew says...
11:37am Tue 5 Feb 13

Why anyone uses these places is beyond me, 'mechanically separated' meat, e.g. cack.

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soprano 2 says...
11:43am Tue 5 Feb 13

Old news this- it was in the Daily Mail last week!

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BL2 says...
11:50am Tue 5 Feb 13

This was in the national news over a week ago...

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pedalling paul says...
12:36pm Tue 5 Feb 13

All this makes me wonder what's afoot......!

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Jeff_li says...
1:15pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Looking for what stories were popular online, then 3 weeks later passing them off as your "News" is lame.

Why don't you go and do some real journalism and pester the councillors who are slowly ripping off this city and it's residents by a whole lot more than an inch of a sandwich!

But while we're punning... This city needs a paper with some bite and Journalists with some real (meat)ball(marinara)
s instead of the soggy limp lettuce of newspaper that this is!

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Tinpot says...
1:21pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Hanging's too good for 'em!

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the andrew says...
1:23pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Jeff_li wrote:
Looking for what stories were popular online, then 3 weeks later passing them off as your "News" is lame.

Why don't you go and do some real journalism and pester the councillors who are slowly ripping off this city and it's residents by a whole lot more than an inch of a sandwich!

But while we're punning... This city needs a paper with some bite and Journalists with some real (meat)ball(marinara)

s instead of the soggy limp lettuce of newspaper that this is!
.....and as the press are part of a chain including daily red tops you would think they would pay attention to their 'parents' feeds

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Davroshasissues says...
1:31pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Wagon wheels aren't the size of a wagon wheel either...unfortunate
ly...

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Omega Point says...
1:46pm Tue 5 Feb 13

the andrew wrote:
Why anyone uses these places is beyond me, 'mechanically separated' meat, e.g. cack.
Is the vegetarian options the same? Cheese OK for you?. A sandwhich that has options as to filling, just avoid the meat. Snob comment

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the andrew says...
2:05pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Omega Point wrote:
the andrew wrote:
Why anyone uses these places is beyond me, 'mechanically separated' meat, e.g. cack.
Is the vegetarian options the same? Cheese OK for you?. A sandwhich that has options as to filling, just avoid the meat. Snob comment
The POINT I was making is the ad blurbs in the shops don't tell the whole story, you have to read the small print on the menu fliers, I am just as happy with salad only. Snob ?, get away, ars off tunip tops

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Rich Picking says...
2:11pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Yet again York Press prints old news ! Now I know why I dont purchase the paper

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the andrew says...
2:18pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Rich Picking wrote:
Yet again York Press prints old news ! Now I know why I dont purchase the paper
Before it was engulfed and devoured and as a broadsheet I bought it most days, would not bother now. How long before it is pay for view for this on-line version ?. S'pose they do hold stories back on slow news days for the paper version.

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Maltonian says...
3:05pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Exaggerating length is a common issue in my experience..........
............

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BigJon says...
4:22pm Tue 5 Feb 13

NoNewsIsGoodNews wrote:
If you look closely at the picture, the top sub is only 9 inches long.
Is it just me or is the photo above also blatantly false.....

The "shorter" sandwich is laid on a table on the wrappers while the "longer" one is being held along with the tape above the table, i.e. nearer the camera, thus distorting any difference in size......the one on the table (the shorter one) is probably actually longer than the other!

To show a true comparison they should either both be held or both laid on the table......

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xtc says...
4:44pm Tue 5 Feb 13

What's really short is real work done by press reporters!obviously!

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bob the builder says...
5:05pm Tue 5 Feb 13

.. putting the sub into ... what about chevaux - any tests for that, tastes like beef but is way cheaper.

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desmond tiblets says...
7:27pm Tue 5 Feb 13

11 inches is still a good size.Her in doors never complains

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sheps lad says...
7:31pm Tue 5 Feb 13

desmond tiblets wrote:
11 inches is still a good size.Her in doors never complains
In your dreams!!

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Micklegate says...
7:45pm Tue 5 Feb 13

It says 'The Press found' the fact which is clearly nonsense, they concede later on all they have done is read the Internet story about it and gone to their local subway, pathetic.

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Back and Beyond says...
8:03pm Tue 5 Feb 13

If they hang the filling out half an inch at each end will everyone be happy?

When you go to the pub and ask for a pint do you get a full pint of liquid or is the head included?

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desmond tiblets says...
8:04pm Tue 5 Feb 13

sheps lad wrote:
desmond tiblets wrote:
11 inches is still a good size.Her in doors never complains
In your dreams!!
I was talking about the sandwich.The wife loves subway and can happily take a foot long one or eleven inches,she says she has not even noticed.

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sheps lad says...
8:19pm Tue 5 Feb 13

The old story. Long and thin v's short and thick?

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Ageing Hippy says...
10:22pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Mine is 12" long but I don't use it as a rule.

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Omega Point says...
10:31pm Tue 5 Feb 13

the andrew wrote:
Omega Point wrote:
the andrew wrote: Why anyone uses these places is beyond me, 'mechanically separated' meat, e.g. cack.
Is the vegetarian options the same? Cheese OK for you?. A sandwhich that has options as to filling, just avoid the meat. Snob comment
The POINT I was making is the ad blurbs in the shops don't tell the whole story, you have to read the small print on the menu fliers, I am just as happy with salad only. Snob ?, get away, ars off tunip tops
You wrote " Why anyone uses these places is beyond me"

So you dismiss the WHOLE place and business (along with others by saying places).

So be more careful and specific in targetting your criticisms amd then you will not come over as a snob, salad or no salad

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the andrew says...
12:04am Wed 6 Feb 13

Yawn.

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Magicman! says...
1:29am Wed 6 Feb 13

heworth.28 wrote:
Big Bad Wolf wrote:
Right, off to McD's to weigh some burgers....
Anyone remember the 'healthier' chicken burger that Burger King introduced about 10 years ago, turned out it was only healthier than the regular one as it was a smaller size...
And Walkers have less salt in their crisps... they also have less crisps too!

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Magicman! says...
1:32am Wed 6 Feb 13

heworth.28 wrote:
Common tactic amongst food companies - if the price goes up, people notice, whereas if you reduce the size of it to save costs they generally don't.
Well, people don't notice for a few days until they go to pour their corn flakes into their breakfast bowl and only 3 flakes fall out... "Hmm, I'm sure this used to cover 6 days but now it's only covering 5... now I have to buy 2 boxes to cover the days I require cereal" - and that's where they catch you out. Some companies go even further, put up the price AND reduce contents. Surely if such companies really needed to cut costs we'd be hearing about them being in financial trouble like what has happened to HMV. And what about the supermarkets... we're in a time of recession and yet their profits keep on growing year on year.

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bolero says...
3:56pm Wed 6 Feb 13

I think The Press should be congratulated for presenting us with such awe-inspiring news. Where would we be without them?

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