Animal welfare charity Anima says Pret has failed to meet its 2018 pledge on fast-growing chickens, with a £1m campaign now targeting the café chain.
A four-metre mechanical Pret wrap containing a “frankenchicken” sculpture was placed outside Pret A Manger in Oxford Circus on Monday as animal welfare charity Anima began a week-long protest across London.
The charity said the action marks the start of a £1m public campaign against Pret, accusing the café chain of failing to meet its 2018 pledge to stop selling fast-growing chickens by 2026.
Anima said Pret has now pushed the target back to 2032 and has not moved any chickens in its UK, US or France supply chains to slower-growing breeds. The group cited Pret’s 2025 Progress Update, which it said records 0% adoption of slower-growing breeds across those markets.
The campaign will visit 15 Pret cafés in London over the week. Ads criticising the company’s chicken sourcing are set to appear on the London Underground, with full-page newspaper ads planned across the week.
Connor Jackson, chief executive of Anima, said Pret’s commitment amounted to “continued inaction” and claimed customers would expect higher welfare standards from the chain.
“Contrary to customers’ expectations, Pret is selling the exact same fast-growing chickens as KFC, Nando’s and Burger King,” Jackson said. “In the eight years since Pret committed to phasing out frankenchickens, it has not transitioned one single chicken to a higher welfare breed.”
The protest features what Anima has called the “Frankenwrap”, a reference to Pret’s chicken sandwich range. The charity is asking members of the public to take a break from Pret until the company starts phasing out fast-growing chickens.
Anima is part of Anima International, an animal welfare group that has run campaigns across Europe for more than 25 years.