Oh, mystery meat. We live in America which means we’re all bound to come across it at some point. From the school cafeteria to even our favorite taco joints, we’ve all been faced with the alarming realization that at some point we’ve definitely eaten it.

Fans of Subway are coming to the realization about the circumstances of Subway meals, once again, thanks to a recent lawsuit challenging the substance of its tuna.

Loading the player...

A new Subway lawsuit alleges that the sandwich chain’s tuna is made from a “mixture of various concoctions” made to “imitate the appearance of tuna.”

Brought forth by Karen Dhanowa and Nilima Amin, two women from California on Jan. 21 the lawsuit claims that “independent testing has repeatedly affirmed, the products are made from anything but tuna.” The lawsuit did not share any evidence of the claims.

Amin and Dhanowa’s lawyer, Alex Brown, asked in a statement last Friday, “What is Subway selling? We don’t know yet, but we are certain it is not tuna… We’re confident that our clients will prevail when they get their day in court.”

In response to the claims, Subway has launched a marketing barrage challenging the allegations that its tuna is fake.

“Keep fishing folks, we’ll keep serving 100% wild-caught tuna,” Subway posted in a Tweet.

The company is offering 15 percent off of its footlong tuna subs with the promotional code “ITSREAL” proving that they’re not waiting for a court to settle the accusations made about its tuna salad. According to CBS “The fast-food chain is already appealing to the court of public opinion with an advertising blitz touting its tuna salad sandwiches and wraps as made with ‘100% real wild caught tuna.'”  

They have further decided to stand by the quality of their tuna, sharing in a statement last Thursday that “There simply is no truth to the allegations in the complaint” and their tuna is mixed with mayo.

“Subway will vigorously defend itself against these and any other baseless efforts to mischaracterize and tarnish the high-quality products that Subway and its franchisees provide to their customers, in California, and around the world, and intends to fight these claims through all available avenues if they are not immediately dismissed,” the fast-food chain stated.

Maggie Truax, Subway’s director of Global PR told CBS MoneyWatch. “Subway delivers 100% cooked tuna to its restaurants, which is mixed with mayonnaise and used in freshly made sandwiches, wraps, and salads that are served to and enjoyed by our guests,” she stated. “Unfortunately, this lawsuit is part of a trend in which the named plaintiffs’ attorneys have been targeting the food industry in an effort to make a name for themselves in that space.”

According to Subway’s website, the company’s tuna salad is made with flaked tuna in brine, mayonnaise, and a flavor-protecting additive.