24/06/2026
A large sculpture depicting a deformed factory-farmed chicken appeared outside a central London Pret a Manger location, the latest in a series of direct-action protests targeting the sandwich chain's chicken sourcing.
The sculpture is designed to render visible what supply chain disclosures usually keep abstract. Fast-growing broiler chickens are bred to reach slaughter weight in roughly six weeks, a growth rate that routinely outpaces the development of their hearts, lungs, and legs. The result, animal welfare scientists have argued for years, is a bird that frequently cannot stand, breathe, or move without distress. Activists call this physiology monstrous. The industry calls it efficient.
Pret has been a recurring target of the Better Chicken Commitment campaign, a coalition push asking food businesses to phase out the fastest-growing broiler breeds and meet improved welfare standards on stocking density, lighting, and slaughter method. Multiple UK chains including KFC and Greggs have signed. Pret, as of the most recent campaign tracker, has not.
The chain's chicken volume is significant. Its baguettes, wraps, and sandwich range place it among the larger UK foodservice buyers of chicken, which is precisely why campaigners keep returning to its doors. A logo recognised by every London commuter is a more effective backdrop than an anonymous processing plant in the Midlands.
The sculpture is gone. The question it dropped on the pavement is not. A chain that built its brand on freshness is being asked, again, to account for what fresh actually looks like before it reaches the counter.