Subway to Launch Beyond Meatball Sub

After a years-long campaign by Animal Outlook and our supporters, Subway told us it will launch a partnership with Beyond Meat to test a fully plant-based meatball marinara sub in 685 stores. The sub will come with topped with non-vegan cheese, but customers can order the meatball marinara without it for a delicious, compassionate option.

Our campaign for vegan options at Subway has been supported with more than 18,000 comments on the website WeLoveSubway.com asking the sandwich chain to debut a vegan option. The restaurant previously acknowledged demand for plant-based products by trialing vegan patties in limited US markets in 2012 and introducing falafel to some stores in 2013. In 2014, Subway began testing “Malibu Garden” and “Black Bean” subs in Los Angeles, and even brought a “Sweet Riblet” sandwich to our home base, Washington, DC.

But now, after debuting other vegan options in New Zealand, Australia, and Finland in 2018 as well as rolling out a vegan sub in the UK nationwide in April of this year, the chain hopes to make a big impact in the US and Canada through a partnership with Beyond Meat, a pea protein-based meat replacement currently taking the vegan food space–and stock market–by storm. 

“Subway’s new vegan sandwich option is helping make vegan eating even more accessible, affordable, and delicious. Millions of customers will be empowered to make more compassionate choices when it comes to their diet, saving animals and the planet one bite at a time” — Laura Cascada, Senior Director of Campaigns & Outreach, Animal Outlook

This exciting new sandwich will be available at select stores in September, with hopes to expand more broadly pending demand. With this exciting announcement, Subway joins the list of fast-casual restaurants increasing sales and meeting consumer demands with delicious and innovative vegan menu items. 

The sub will be available for a  limited time only at participating restaurants in Jackson, Mississippi; South Bend-Elkhart, Indiana; Fresno-Visalia, California; Louisville, Kentucky; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada.

TAKE ACTION: Head to Subway’s Facebook page to thank the chain for debuting a vegan option, and ask them to roll out the sub nationwide!