Subway is joining the growing list of companies that plan to drop artificial ingredients from their menu items. The sandwich chain plans to remove artificial flavors, colors and preservatives from its food in North America by 2017, according to the Associated Press.
Some of the changes will include using banana peppers that are colored with turmeric instead of Yellow No. 5 and using turkey that includes with vinegar rather than the preservative propionic acid.
Subway earned a spate of bad press last year when a food activist launched an online petition asking the company to remove azodicarbonamide from its bread, which is a substance also used in yoga mats. The ingredient is no longer in Subway’s food.
Offering up more natural food options has been en vogue among fast food chains this year. Businesses like McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Panera Bread have all announced that they were dropping artificial ingredients from some or all of their products.