Subway alters bread recipe to remove plastic chemical as ingredient

Same chemical ingredient used in yoga mats, shoe rubber

ORLANDO, Fla. – Yoga mats, shoe rubber and Subway have one thing in common: they all contain plastic.

Subway, the world's largest restaurant chain, announced that it is changing its recipe to remove a chemical that provides elasticity to its bread.

The chemical azodicarbonamide is banned in the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia, and is used to make yoga mats and shoe rubber.

The World Health Organization has linked the chemical to respiratory issues, allergies and asthma.

The chemical is also used at restaurants such as McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King, and its purpose is to make bread stretch and foam up.

The change in Subways recipe was announced after a food blogger started a petition to remove the chemical. It received 60,000 signatures in its first day alone.