What Fast Food Breakfast Fans Should Know About Subway's Eggs

Subway has had its troubles in the past, and it may have troubles in the future, with its switch from Coke to Pepsi in 2025, but it just keeps on chugging along, as it has for years. In 2010 the fast food sub chain with an unfathomable amount of restaurants in the U.S. rolled out breakfast, including a line of flatbread sandwiches and wraps that include proteins such as bacon, Black Forest ham, and steak, as well as cheese – and also an egg patty. However, the latter might be cause for concern, if you're trying to, as the chain's jingle says, eat fresh.

This is because while Subway has made good on its promise to switch over to cage-free eggs by 2025 in most cases (it's at 100% on other continents, and it still has time in North America), there's also a slew of other ingredients within the patties too. Additives like xantham gum, cellulose gum, and citric acid have all made their way into the chain's breakfast eggs. So unfortunately, while the eggs themselves are more, rather than less, ethically sourced, the patties they form are chock full of extra ingredients.

Bear in mind that the ingredients in Subway's egg patties all meet FDA standards for public consumption and are safe to consume; however, their inclusion means the patties are a far cry from the fresh-cracked eggs you eat at home. Each additive serves the overall purpose of making the patties taste good, look good, and feel good, and help preserve them. Xantham gum, for example, is a very common food additive that is growing in popularity among gluten-free products, as it is effective at keeping food at its ideal thickness and texture.

Cellulose gum is another additive that aids with thickening. It is rather surprisingly, derived from wood pulp, and has been famously called out for its inclusion in shredded cheese to help prevent clumping. Citric acid is another addition to Subway's egg patties; it is used as a flavor enhancer and a preservative in processed foods.

As much of a chem lab experiment as these eggs sound, Subway has actually reduced the number of additives it uses to make the patties, as they no longer contain such ingredients as propylene glycol or dimethylpolysiloxane. Progress!