Fast-food giant Subway has collaborated with Swiss plant-based meat leader Planted to develop a new teriyaki sandwich in all its stores nationwide.
Subway lovers in Switzerland will now be able to get their hands on vegan chicken in their sandwich orders, thanks to the chain’s partnership with Planted.
The two companies have teamed up to create a plant-based teriyaki chicken sandwich, which is now available at all 52 Subway locations across the country. It will also be featured as the Sub of the Day every Saturday, priced at 6.90 francs ($8.70).
“This collaboration marks an exciting milestone in making delicious, sustainable proteins even more accessible to everyone, everywhere. Together with Subway Switzerland, we’re proving that plant-based eating can be tasty, satisfying, and better for the planet,” Planted said in an Instagram post.
A social media comment turned into reality
It all began with an Instagram comment.
In May, Switzerland’s highest court ruled that terms like ‘beef’ and ‘chicken’ can no longer be used on plant-based meat product labels in the country.
The Federal Supreme Court overturned a 2022 decision by the Zurich Administrative Court, which had rejected a cantonal laboratory’s ruling that prevented Planted, the country’s leading meat-free manufacturer, from using terms like ‘Planted chicken’, ‘like chicken’, and ‘like pork’ on its packaging.
Planted was in the headlines following the decision, and made an Instagram post referencing its displeasure. In the comments section, the Subway Switzerland account made a tongue-in-cheek promise.
“If we get 10 likes on this comment, we will support @eatplanted by ordering your planted-not-calling-it-chicken-anymore products at Subway,” the fast-food chain wrote.
The comment ended up garnering nearly 190 likes. And so the collaboration began. The Planted chicken is made from pea protein, pea fibres, rapeseed oil and salt, and it’s fortified with vitamin B12. It contains 24g of protein and over 4g of fibre per 100g, with only 0.6g of saturated fat.
Subway builds on its plant-based meat legacy
This is far from Subway’s first foray into meat analogues. It has previously partnered with Beyond Meat in the US and Canada on a plant-based meatball trial, and with The Vegetarian Butcher (now owned by JBS) on a vegan teriyaki steak sub in the UK and Ireland.
In Asia-Pacific, it rolled out a vegan chicken schnitzel option with Nestlé-owned Harvest Gourmet in Singapore, and a garlic and herb patty with CP Foods’s Meat-Zero in Thailand.
Its deal with Planted is part of its Swissness strategy to collaborate with local producers, and the plant-based teriyaki chicken sub is the first of a series of upcoming product launches with the brand.
“The demand for plant-based sandwich fillings is growing,” said Hamza Ayub, CMO of Convenience House, Subway’s franchise manager in Switzerland.
“We want to meet this need with tasty, varied choices and partner with Swiss companies known for quality, sustainability, and innovation,” he added. “Planted is the perfect partner for this.”
Planted co-founder Pascal Bieri added: “This partnership is very special to us. A true shift towards a better protein future is only possible if our healthy, sustainable, plant-based proteins are offered side by side with animal meat – and are made accessible to all.
“Gastronomy partners like Subway play a crucial role here, and we’re excited to show millions of guests together that plant-based is not only better for health, the environment, and animal welfare but also tastes amazing.”
The post Instagram Hype Leads Subway to Launch Planted Chicken Sandwich in Switzerland appeared first on Green Queen.
This post was originally published on Green Queen.