The First Ingredient In Jersey Mike's Olive Oil Blend Isn't Even Olive Oil

If you order a sub "Mike's Way" at Jersey Mike's, it will be made with what the sandwich chain calls "The Juice." The Juice, a type of sub sauce, is known to be a combination of red wine vinegar and an "olive oil blend". This would lead most people to believe that olive oil is the main oil in the blend. The blend actually consists of soybean and/or canola oil, and olive oil. When you look at the list of ingredients for the olive oil blend used on subs at Jersey Mike's, it may surprise you. Olive oil is listed last, indicating that it contains less than the other two oils.

If you sample canola or soybean oil versus olive oil, there is no comparison. Olive oil, especially good-quality olive oil, has a distinct taste that adds loads of flavor to food. Canola and soybean oils are considered neutral oils with barely any flavor.

From a health standpoint, Jersey Mike's olive oil blend is bad news. Unrefined olive oil, by itself, has been proven to have health benefits. However, soybean oil is among the unhealthiest oils to cook with, with studies linking it to obesity and diabetes in lab mice. Highly refined canola oil has been linked to metabolic syndrome. Nobody goes to Jersey Mike's looking for a healthy meal, with the unhealthiest sandwiches there containing huge amounts of sodium and fat. And with sodium and fat being two of the major reasons you should avoid processed meat, skipping The Juice isn't going to make much of a difference at Jersey Mike's.

Olive oil is one of the more expensive oils on the market, and it's probably safe to assume Jersey Mike's uses a blend as a way to save money. Combining the pricier oil with less expensive ones lowers the cost of making The Juice.

To be fair, Jersey Mike's has never claimed The Juice contained only olive oil. They have always referred to it as a "blend." The company's website claims that The Juice adds "that certain something extra." Unfortunately, "that certain something extra" comes in the form of cheaper, neutral oils, and not the (mostly) robust olive oil you might have been picturing.