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- Subway CEO John Chidsey said he "absolutely" eats the chain's tuna sandwiches.
- A lawsuit claimed Subway's tuna wasn't actually tuna. Subway has repeatedly said it uses 100% tuna.
- Subway overhauled its menu and ingredients on Tuesday – but didn't touch its tuna, Chidsey said.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
The CEO of Subway has hit back at claims that the sandwich chain's tuna isn't actually tuna.
Subway launched what it said was its biggest-ever menu overhaul on Tuesday – but didn't touch its tuna, John Chidsey told CNN.
"We're very proud of our tuna," he said, adding that he "absolutely" eats the chain's tuna sandwiches.
"It's one of my two favorite sandwiches."
Plaintiffs Karen Dhanowa and Nilima Amin filed a class-action lawsuit in January claiming that Subway's tuna was made from "a mixture of various concoctions" rather than actual tuna. The lawsuit said this made it cheaper for Subway.
Subway has vigorously defended its tuna, saying that it buys only skipjack and yellowfin tuna from fisheries with stocks that aren't overfished.
The lawsuit claimed "independent testing repeatedly affirmed" Subway made its tuna product with no tuna fish. The New York Times sent some of Subway's tuna to a commercial lab, which told the publication that "no amplifiable tuna DNA was present in the sample," leaving it unable to identify the species.
Chidsey defended the chain's tuna in his CNN interview.
"I say follow the science, and if you follow the science, once tuna's cooked, its DNA becomes denatured, which means when you go to test it, which The New York Times admitted, you can't tell one way or the other," he said.
He referred to the chain's website subwaytunafacts.com, which he said "will take you through all the science."
The plaintiffs in the complaint amended their claims in June to focus on whether Subway serves "100% sustainably caught skipjack and yellowfin tuna."
"They question what kind of tuna it is," Chidsey told CNN Tuesday. "But they acknowledge that it is 100% tuna."
The chain rolled out its revamped menu on Tuesday with "improvements to almost every core menu item," according to a press release. New products include artisan Italian and hearty multigrain bread, deli-style sliced ham and turkey, and smashed avocado.
"We've been working on this refresh for 15 to 16 months and if you noticed, the one thing we did not touch was our tuna," Chidsey told CNN. "People love our tuna. We're very proud of our tuna, so I think that's really the end of the story."