Chris Packham refuses to step foot in Pret stores over chicken welfare: 'I am absolutely furious!'
Naturalist Chris Packham is "absolutely furious" with Pret A Manger, claiming the café company has "broken a promise to chickens", and he has led a crowd of protestors in slamming the chain.
Chris Packham has led a crowd of protestors in slamming Pret A Manger, claiming the café company has "broken a promise to chickens".
The 65-year-old naturalist is "absolutely furious" with Pret for going back on a promise made in 2018 to stop using fast-growing "frankenchicken" breeds by 2026, which he says is "absolutely unacceptable".
Chris has vowed not to set foot in one of Pret's cafes until they "produce a real, credible plan to stop selling frankenchickens".
He fumed: "I am absolutely furious at Pret for breaking their promise to chickens.
"Factory farming has broken the chicken. Bred to grow so fast that they can barely walk, scrabbling around in their own waste, broken bones and deformities.
"The life of a fast-growing chicken is hell. It's a horror story dressed up as a lunch menu. It's absolutely unacceptable."
Pret recently faced fierce criticism from animal activist groups Anima and Project Slingshot for going back on its word and pushing the deadline to 2032, sparking a £1 million public campaign that has already gathered 40,000 signatures.
But Pret has hit back, claiming it remains one of the few businesses still committed to phasing out frankenchickens.
However, Chris wants more to be done.
He added: "It was bad enough when KFC, Nando’s and Burger King withdrew their commitments to stop selling frankenchickens.
"But what Pret are doing is equally insidious. They’re pretending to be committed to ending their use of frankenchickens whilst doing nothing about it. I’m not falling for it.
"When a company is committed to making a change for animals, they don’t wait 14 years to do it.
"That’s why I’m joining the campaign to hold Pret to account.
"I’m taking a break from Pret, and I won’t be setting foot in their cafes until they produce a real, credible plan to stop selling frankenchickens, just like they promised to do eight years ago."
To support his views, Chris protested outside one of Pret's London stores alongside a four-metre animatronic "Frankenwrap", a prop that recently garnered over 10 million social media views after touring Pret cafes in London.
Chris added: "We're asking people to keep the pound in their pocket, not put it in the till in here [Pret], so it doesn't get to their shareholders and they start listening to a world that wants more ethics and morality when it comes to animal welfare."
