Animal welfare campaigners brought a giant chicken-themed protest to the Ealing Broadway branch of sandwich and coffee chain Pret A Manger on Wednesday (17 June 2026) over the company’s chicken welfare commitments.
The demonstration featured a four-metre sculpture of a giant Pret wrap containing a whole chicken, complete with feathers, and was displayed outside Pret branches across London, including Ealing Broadway.
The protest was organised by animal welfare organisation Anima as part of a week-long tour of 15 Pret branches across London.
Anima says its London-wide campaign is backed by £1 million and includes demonstrations, London Underground advertising and newspaper adverts.
The group claims Pret has failed to honour a 2018 pledge to stop using fast-growing chickens by 2026 and has since pushed back its target for transitioning to slower-growing breeds until 2032. Anima said more than 13,000 people had signed its campaign calling on customers to take a break from the chain until the change is made.
Connor Jackson, chief executive of Anima, said: “Pret’s so-called commitment is simply a cover for its continued inaction. Contrary to customers’ expectations, Pret is selling the exact same fast-growing chickens as KFC, Nando’s and Burger King, and there’s no reason to believe this will change.
“In the eight years since Pret committed to phasing out fast-growing chickens, it has not transitioned one single chicken to a higher welfare breed.”
Pret rejected the criticism and said it remains one of the few food businesses still signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment, an industry-backed animal welfare initiative.
A Pret spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that this campaign group has chosen to target one of the few businesses that remains signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment. We already meet five out of the six of those standards and have set a clear roadmap for the remaining one.
“It is unclear to us why activists are spending such significant funds targeting a business trying to do the right thing rather than focusing on those who have abandoned higher welfare reform entirely.”
Pret said all of the chicken used across its UK menu is British and that it already meets five of the six Better Chicken Commitment standards. The company said it is working towards introducing slower-growing breeds by 2032.
The spokesperson added: “While we respect the right to peaceful protest and the important issues this campaign seeks to raise, our priority is the wellbeing of our team members and customers. We have plans in place to support them and hope any demonstrations are conducted safely and with respect for the people who work in and visit our shops every day.”
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