Subway - the KNIFE and other disgusting practices

Howwever, it isn't asking too much to hold a restaurant acountable for standards they MUST legally adhere to, and speak up about it if/when you witness infractions. i.e, the Subway knife..


Where, exactly, is not wiping the knife illegal? I really want to know.

Here you go...(the section between the smiley faces speaks to the issue of cross-contamination and Subway knives):

From FDA's website: http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/ProduceandPlanProducts/ucm174200.htm#retail

IX. Retail and Foodservice
Specific procedures for storing and displaying food, for excluding or restricting ill employees, for washing hands, date-marking, and for washing and sanitizing equipment can be found in the FDA Food Code15. The FDA Food Code is a model code developed by FDA to assist and promote consistent implementation of national food safety regulatory policy among the local, State, and tribal governmental agencies that have primary responsibility for the regulation or oversight of retail level food operations. Further considerations for leafy greens are found below. In addition, handlers of leafy greens should be aware of and follow all Federal, State, and local requirements. Leafy greens may be handled extensively at retail or in food service operations; therefore, it is of particular importance to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before cutting or handling leafy greens and to rewash hands as necessary.

A. Retail and Foodservice Handling
Leafy greens may be contaminated by numerous means in the field-to-fork supply chain. Important considerations at the retail and foodservice level include excluding or restricting ill food workers, ensuring appropriate employee hygiene/handling, using water of adequate quality, and preventing cross-contamination.

FDA recommends:

Considering not using leafy greens with visible signs of decay or damage, due to the increased risk of the presence of human pathogens. Decayed or damaged leafy greens and lesions caused by plant pathogens may act as harborage for human pathogens (Ref. 24 ). When in doubt about the use of decayed or distressed product, either removing the unusable portions or not using the leafy greens.
Utilizing information in the FDA 2005 Food Code Section 3-302.15 (available in PDF16), which specifies: "Raw fruits and vegetables shall be thoroughly washed in water to remove soil and other contaminants before being cut, combined with other ingredients, cooked, served, or offered for human consumption in ready-to-eat form." Not rewashing packaged produce labeled "ready-to-eat," "washed" or "triple washed."
Ensuring water used to wash leafy greens is of appropriate microbial quality for its intended use.
Rewashing, after cutting, the leafy greens in a clean and sanitized sink or container. Immersing and agitating the cut leafy greens, then removing from water while avoiding contact with any dirt or debris that may settle out. Repeating the cleaning process as needed with a clean and sanitized basin, sink, or bowl and fresh water.

Cleaning and sanitizing all food-contact equipment and utensils that contact cut leafy greens (e.g., cutting boards and knives) with the following steps: washing thoroughly with hot soapy water, rinsing, sanitizing, and air-drying.
Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water before cutting or handling leafy greens and rewashing hands as necessary.

Using a barrier such as gloves and/or an appropriate utensil changed with sufficient frequency to prevent cross-contamination to touch fresh-cut leafy greens. Note: This does not alleviate the need for proper hand-washing.
Storing and displaying fresh-cut leafy greens under refrigeration throughout distribution to enhance the safety and quality of the product.
Storing and displaying fresh-cut leafy greens under refrigeration to minimize bacterial growth and delay deterioration of the product.
Establishing a policy for fresh-cut leafy greens prepared at retail/foodservice for how long the refrigerated product can be displayed and offered for sale. Marking the product, with "prepared on" or "best if used by" date.
Following manufacturer instructions for the product such as "keep refrigerated" or "best if used by."
Developing training programs that will educate all potential handlers of leafy greens in retail and food establishments regarding the importance of food safety and the recommendations in this guidance.

Yeah, they wash and sanitize their dishes every day, not between every sandwich! And I'm going to preemptively argue the stuff about fresh-cut leafy greens doesn't apply anyway because their veggies arrive at the stores in a bag cut and cleaned already.

I hate that at subway you get a ****ton of cheese (which i don't like on my sandwich and avoid) but they will put maybe 3 leaves of spinach on it. Oh, if you want mayo they glop it on, but vinegar is a few teaspoons?

At the end of the line - when they have all the glop on your sandwich (note here - I despise mayonnaise and most dressings) they need to fold the sandwich up so they reach for - the KNIFE. The knife that is dripping with mayo and other dressings from the last 50 sandwiches they've made that day. They lay it on your sandwich to hold the toppings in place, fold over the top, and extract the knife such that those remnants get scraped onto your pristine, veggie patty, pepperjack on wheat sub with everything but cucumbers and carrots and a touch of red salsa sub.

The other thing that disgusts me - the server standing there, waiting for the next sandwich on the assembly line. They are wearing those plastic gloves - for our protection I presume - and they proceed to wipe the counter and push leftover stuff into the trash hole using just the glove, then turn to you and ask what you'd like on your sandwich.

I'm sure much worse happens behind the scenes at a McDonalds, Hardees, etc. but it's 1) not where you can see it, and 2) I don't eat at those meat-factories.

What is more disgusting, the Knife or a " veggie patty, pepperjack on wheat sub with everything but cucumbers and carrots and a touch of red salsa sub"?

I bring my own knife to subway. I just tell them to make me a sub and show them my nice clean knife.

How do you uptight people live thru the day? By taking handfuls of anxiety pills, I guess. Trash hole? Do you think they are putting used diapers in there? They are pushing bread crumbs and spinach in there that hasn't been touched by human hands yet. And you want them to use a new knife on every sandwich? Really?

I love how people think this is how fast food gets made. THIS IS HOW ALL FOOD GETS MADE. Even in your own homes. Do you think your mom used a fresh knife on your PB&J sandwich after she cut your brother's? Good luck at Thanksgiving.

Can one of you alarmists please stop by your local ER and count how many people are there because of Subway, McDonalds or any other food place before you panic?

First of all, "Mom" is not serving the general public; thus, she does not have to adhere to the same laws of quality standards for food prep set forth by the FDA. Secondly, a mom would know her own children's allergies. Not so with restaurants.

Lastly, I used to work in an ER, and you'd be surprised at how many food allergy cases come in on a DAILY basis.

Just wanted to comment in this as my son has a serious allergy. Although I would LOVE it if I felt I could trust any restaurant/fast food outlet to serve their food in a way that doesn't endanger him, basically over the last few years I've come to accept that they don't really care much about that, to be honest. Mostly we eat the food which I cook at home. When we do go out, we take a 'calculated risk' by taking him to certain places (with epipens on hand) after first checking their websites and have to trust that what we don't see in the kitchen doesn't contaminate otherwise safe foods. Other people's houses are often just as bad! Otherwise we'd have to live in a bubble

To both of the last two comments:

It's not the responsibility of the restaurant to make sure customers avoid allergens. It's your responsibility as a parent and an individual to speak up. All they can do is try to reasonably accommodate you.

I agree. I said as much in my first post on this thread. Believe me, most parents with allergic children are VERRRRY diligent, but they also know that even with the best of care, it isn't always easy to keep on top of every single allergen. In Canada, for instance, we don't have strict labelling laws like they do in the USA, so sometimes, even the best of intentions on the part of parents, restaurants, and the allergic kids themselves go astray.

Howwever, it isn't asking too much to hold a restaurant acountable for standards they MUST legally adhere to, and speak up about it if/when you witness infractions. i.e, the Subway knife..

I work at subway, and though some of my other employees do this. I completely understand being a fitness enthusiast and just a clean person in general. I go through about 100 knives or more through out the day and always change my gloves and wash my hands after each customer no matter how long it takes. Some customers in the line find it annoying though. that being said I will encourage other employees to do the same more often:).

Generally speaking, if you're overly concerned about sanitation I wouldn't suggest fast food.