Last Updated on: 2nd July 2026, 09:08 pm

The naturalist said he will avoid Pret A Manger cafés until the company sets out a clear plan on slower-growing chicken breeds.

Naturalist Chris Packham has joined campaigners in London in criticising Pret A Manger over a chicken welfare pledge first made in 2018.

Packham said he would not visit the chain’s cafés until Pret sets out a clear plan to stop using fast-growing chicken breeds. The protest took place outside the company’s Waterloo Road branch.

Pret had pledged in 2018 to stop using fast-growing chicken breeds by 2026. Campaign groups Anima and Project Slingshot say the company has now moved that deadline to 2032, drawing criticism from animal welfare campaigners.

The campaign has attracted 40,000 signatures and forms part of a £1m public campaign targeting the food chain.

Packham said fast-growing chickens face serious welfare problems, including difficulty walking, broken bones and deformities. He described the life of a fast-growing chicken as “hell” and said Pret had failed to meet the promise it made eight years ago.

Pret has said it remains one of the few businesses still committed to phasing out fast-growing chicken breeds.

Packham rejected that position, saying companies serious about animal welfare do not wait 14 years to act. He said he was joining the campaign to hold Pret to account and would not return to its cafés until the company produces a clear plan.

The protest featured a four-metre animatronic “Frankenwrap”, a campaign prop that has toured Pret cafés in London and attracted more than 10 million views on social media.

Anima said the Waterloo protest was the latest action in its campaign over Pret’s chicken sourcing policy.