#Roommates, over the last few years, popular fast food chain Subway has been in the middle of various lawsuits regarding its food—and one more has just been added to the list. According to a new lawsuit, previous customers are alleging that Subway’s tuna sandwich doesn’t contain any actual tuna at all and that the company has been misleading customers.
@WashingtonPost reports, Subway has been hit with a new lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit alleges that the ingredient billed as “tuna” for the chain’s sandwiches and wraps contains absolutely no tuna. The star ingredient, according to the lawsuit, is “made from anything but tuna.” Based on independent lab tests of “multiple samples” taken from Subway locations in California, the “tuna” is “a mixture of various concoctions that do not constitute tuna, yet have been blended together by defendants to imitate the appearance of tuna,” according to the complaint.
Shalini Dogra, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, declined to say exactly what ingredients the lab tests revealed. “We found that the ingredients were not tuna and not fish,” he said. Two plaintiffs identified in the lawsuit are Karen Dhanowa and Nilima Amin, both residents of Alameda County. Dhanowa and Amin are suing Subway for fraud, intentional misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and other claims under federal and state laws. Among other accusations, the plaintiffs also argue they “were tricked into buying food items that wholly lacked the ingredients they reasonably thought they were purchasing” based on Subway’s labeling, packaging and advertising.
Additionally, attorneys for Dhanowa and Amin say they hope to get their claim certified as a class action lawsuit, which could open the case up to thousands of other Subway customers in California who purchased tuna sandwiches and wraps after January 21, 2017 and want to also file legal complaints.
Meanwhile, a representative of Subway said the claims are without merit, stating that the tuna is wild-caught, which is how the majority of tuna is harvested—with only a small percentage of bluefin and yellowfin tuna is farmed. “Tuna is one of our most popular sandwiches. Our restaurants receive pure tuna, mix it with mayonnaise and serve on a freshly made sandwich to our guests,” said Katia Noll, Senior Director for Global Food Safety and Quality at Subway.
The plaintiffs in the current case are seeking compensatory and punitive damages as well as payment of their attorneys’ fees. They also want Subway to end its alleged practice of mislabeling its tuna sandwiches and surrender all profits earned from the practice.
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