(Jan 18, 2013) NEW YORK (AP) -- What's in an inch? Apparently, enough missing meat, cheese and tomatoes to cause an uproar. Subway, the world's largest fast food chain with 38,000 locations, is facing widespread criticism after a man who appears to be from Australia posted a photo on the company's Facebook page of one of its footlong sandwiches next to a tape measure that shows the sub is just 11 inches. More than 100,000 people have "liked" or commented on the photo, which had the caption "Subway pls respond." Lookalike pictures popped up elsewhere on Facebook. And The New York Post conducted its own investigation that found that four out of seven footlong sandwiches that it measured were shy of the 12 inches that makes a foot. The original photo was no longer visible by Thursday afternoon on Subway's Facebook page, which has 19.8 million fans. A spokesman for Subway, which is based in Milford, Conn., said Subway did not remove it. Subway also said that the length of its sandwiches may vary slightly when its bread, which is baked at each Subway location, is not made to the chain's exact specifications. "We are reinforcing our policies and procedures in an effort to ensure our offerings are always consistent no matter which Subway restaurant you visit," read an e-mailed statement. The Subway photo - and the backlash - illustrates a challenge companies face with the growth of social media sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Before, someone in a far flung local in Australia would not be able to cause such a stir. But the power of social media means that negative posts about a company can spread from around the world in seconds. "People look for the gap between what companies say and what they give, and when they find the gap - be it a mile or an inch - they can now raise a flag and say, `Hey look at this,' I caught you," said Allen Adamson, managing director of branding firm Landor Associates in New York. Subway has always offered footlong sandwiches since it opened in 1965. A customer can order any sandwich as a footlong. The chain introduced a $5 footlong promotion in 2008 as the U.S. fell into the recession, and has continued offering the popular option throughout the recovery. An attempt to contact someone with the same name and country as the person who posted the photo of the footlong sandwich on Subway's Facebook page was not returned on Thursday. But comments by other Facebook users about the photo ran the gamut from outrage to indifference to amusement. One commenter urged people to "chill out." Another one said she was switching to Quiznos. And one man posted a photo of his foot in a sock next to a Subway sandwich to show it was shorter than a "foot." "I've never seen so many people in an uproar over an inch. Wow," read one Facebook post. "Let's all head to McDonald's and weigh a Quarter Pounder," suggested another poster. The Subway footlong photo is just the latest in a string of public relations headaches that were caused by a negative photo or event about a company going viral. Last year, a Burger King employee tweeted with a picture of someone standing in sneakers on two tubs of uncovered lettuce. Domino's Pizza employees posted a video on YouTube of workers defacing a pizza in 2009. And a KitchenAid employee last year made a disparaging remark about President Obama using the official KitchenAid Twitter account. © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.     Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

(Jan 18, 2013) CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) - A group at the University of Northern Iowa is trying to reduce food waste at landfills around the state.  Waterloo television station KWWL reports the Iowa Waste Reduction Center at UNI is developing a website that...

(Jan 18, 2013) WASHINGTON (AP) -- Global warming is already changing America from sea to rising sea and is affecting how Americans live, a massive new federally commissioned report says. A special panel of scientists convened by the government issued Friday a...

(Jan 18, 2013) NEW YORK (AP) -- Coca-Cola became one of the world's most powerful brands by equating its soft drinks with happiness. Now it's taking to the airwaves for the first time to address a growing cloud over the industry: obesity. The Atlanta-based...

(Jan 18, 2013) LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Southern California residents worked to stay warm and growers in the Central Valley fought to protect citrus crops from overnight lows as a regional cold snap entered another day Monday. Alerts predicting freezing...

(Jan 18, 2013) LONDON (AP) -- In Britain, a horse is a horse - not a main course. Tesco, the country's biggest supermarket chain, took out full-page newspaper ads Thursday to apologize for an unwanted ingredient in some of its hamburgers: horsemeat. Ten million...

(Jan 18, 2013) WASHINGTON (AP) -- People with severe food allergies have a new tool in their attempt to find menus that fit their diet: federal disabilities law. And that could leave schools, restaurants and anyplace else that serves food more vulnerable to legal...

(Jan 18, 2013) PLAINVIEW, Texas – January 17, 2013 – Cargill announced plans today to idle its Plainview, Texas, beef processing facility effective at the close of business Friday, Feb.1, 2013.  The company said the action resulted...