A franchisee for Subway sought an exemption from an Irish “value added tax” on Subway’s bread. The Supreme Court of Ireland heard the case and decided that due to the concentration of sugar in the bread, Subway’s bread does not meet the legal criteria to be considered “bread”.

According to Irish law, for a baked good to be considered bread, the flour mixture must contain no more than 2% of the combination of fat, sugar, and bread improver. The flour mixture of Subway bread is 10% sugar, according to the Irish Supreme Court.

Wait, how much sugar is in Subway bread? Ten percent?

With its “Eat Fresh” slogan, Subway markets itself as a healthier fast food choice, while offering chips and fountain drinks on top of its hyper-sugary sandwiches. We should, of course, be skeptical of any fast food joint that makes the claim of being healthier, considering their practice of adding sugar to their offerings because they’re aware of the effect sugar has on people’s better judgment.

It would appear as though Subway isn’t above the usual fast food tactics that keep people coming back, as the sugar content of their “bread” is so high, the Irish don’t classify it as bread, but as a “baked good”.

But while we’re discussing the classification of Subway’s “bread”, here’s an idea: we can classify it as candy. After all, Subway’s bread contains a high volume of sugar, and it requires heating to take it’s shape.

If we were to classify Subway’s bread as candy, it would better inform consumers as to the health benefits of the confection, and health-conscious diners can make their choices accordingly.

So the Irish Supreme Court found that Subway’s candy-bread is not technically bread. That Was Actually The news.