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Subway is cutting the price on its footlong sub, joining the value menu battle
Subway’s footlong sandwiches are getting a new price.
Beginning Aug. 26, all footlongs will cost $6.99, down from a high of as much as $14 in some markets, the food chain said Friday. It marks Subway’s foray into the value menu wars as fast-food restaurants try to to win back customers who say food prices are too high.
The offer, only available for purchases made through Subway’s app or website with code “699FL,” will end Sept. 8. Subway overs 22 different sandwich varieties, and customers can also create their own custom subs.
The move follows special summer menu rollouts from other fast food chains that have struggled in recent months to grow sales and draw inflation-weary consumers into their stores and restaurants. In announcing the new footlong price, Subway acknowledged Americans’ struggles with the rising cost of living, as well as their heightened sensitivity to food prices.
“Today’s diner is stretched more than ever, and too often that means a tradeoff on quality, variety or flavor to find an affordable meal,” Subway North America president Doug Fry said in a statement.
Some consumers are increasingly opting to dine at home as restaurant prices have surged since the pandemic. The cost to eat out has jumped 28% since January 2020 — outpacing the overall inflation rate of 21% over the same period, according to government data.
That’s prompting some chains to cut their prices in an effort to lure diners back through their doors, such as McDonald’s offer in June of a limited-time $5 value meal. The fast food giant’s global sales slumped in the second quarter, marking the first decline for the fast-food giant since 2020. Management attributed the slowing foot traffic to low-income consumers paring their spending on food outside the home.
Other retailers, including Target, have also slashed prices on goods to draw cash-strapped customers back to grocery aisles. In Target’s case, the move paid off: Its comparable sales rose for the first time in a year in the second quarter.
A food company known for popular grocery store condiments has recalled a package of tortilla strips that may be contaminated with wheat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The product is meant to be gluten-free.
Sugar Foods, a manufacturing and distribution corporation focused mainly on various toppings, artificial sweeteners and snacks, issued the recall for the “Santa Fe Style” version of tortilla strips sold by the brand Fresh Gourmet.
“People who have a wheat allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product,” said Sugar Foods in an announcement posted by the FDA.
Packages of these tortilla strips with an expiration date as late as June 20, 2025, could contain undeclared wheat, meaning the allergen is not listed as an ingredient on the label. The Fresh Gourmet product is marketed as gluten-free.
Sugar Foods said a customer informed the company on Nov. 19 that packages of the tortilla strips actually contained crispy onions, another Fresh Gourmet product normally sold in a similar container. The brand’s crispy onion product does contain wheat, and that allergen is noted on the label.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
No illnesses tied to the packaging mistake have been reported, according to the announcement from Sugar Foods. However, the company is still recalling the tortilla strips as a precaution. The contamination issue may have affected products distributed between Sept. 30 and Nov. 11 in 22 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Sugar Foods has advised anyone with questions about the recall to contact the company’s consumer care department by email or phone.
CBS News reached out to Sugar Foods for more information but did not receive an immediate reply.
This is the latest in a series of food product recalls affected because of contamination issues, although the others involved harmful bacteria. Some recent, high-profile incidents include an E. coli outbreak from organic carrots that killed at least one person in California, and a listeria outbreak that left an infant dead in California and nine people hospitalized across four different states, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The E. coli outbreak is linked to multiple different food brands while the listeria outbreak stemmed from a line of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products sold by Yu-Shang Foods.
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