Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

Subway adds avocado to sandwich menu

Stacey Vanek Smith May 30, 2011
HTML EMBED:
COPY
A man passes a Subway shop in New York City. Stephen Chernin/Getty Images

Subway adds avocado to sandwich menu

Stacey Vanek Smith May 30, 2011
A man passes a Subway shop in New York City. Stephen Chernin/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
COPY

JEREMY HOBSON: Well here in the U.S. there is a new ingredient coming to sandwich-makers nationwide: Avocado. Subway will be offering avocado spread as a topping.

Marketplace’s Stacey Vanek-Smith tells us why.


STACEY VANEK-SMITH: Not only do avocados go with Subway’s fresh and nutritious marketing campaign, they also add a dash of gourmet to the sandwich chain says Darren Tristano with Technomic.

DARREN TRISTANO: I think it’s likely a test to see whether a more gourmet ingredient can play with their price point.

Play it, up, that is. The avocado spread will be included on some pricier $8 subs or you can shell out a buck to add it to other sandwiches. Food industry consultant Gary Stibel says the $5 foot-long deal established Subway as a slightly pricier and healthier alternative to fast food. And the avocado option will keep pushing subway in the fancy fast food direction.

GARY STIBEL: We’re coming out of a recession, so it’s perfect timing for them to start laddering up from $5 to $6 to $7 and who knows.

Stibel says the new ingredient may attract Hispanics, a fast-growing market that consumes a lot of avocados.

In New York, I’m Stacey Vanek-Smith for Marketplace.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.