Animal welfare group Anima placed a car-sized mechanical chicken outside 15 London Pret stores this week, launching a £1 million campaign over the chain's missed 2026 pledge to phase out fast-growing chicken breeds.

A car-sized mechanical chicken sculpture appeared outside Pret A Manger locations across London, part of a campaign accusing the sandwich chain of quietly abandoning a welfare promise it made nearly a decade ago.

The stunt was organized by animal welfare group Anima, as reported by Plant Based News. The group reportedly created a grotesque chicken sculpture to reference the fast-growing chicken breeds that dominate Pret's sandwich menu.

Plant Based News

Here's the conventional read on corporate welfare pledges: a brand signs the commitment, customers feel reassured, and the slow work of supply chain change happens behind the scenes. Anima's argument is that, in Pret's case, the slow work hasn't happened at all.

Pret signed the Better Chicken Commitment, pledging to phase out fast-growing breeds. According to the company's own welfare update, Pret has made zero progress in the UK, US, and France on this commitment. The updated timeline pushes full phase-out significantly beyond the original deadline.

Fast-growing chickens, often called frankenchickens by welfare campaigners, reach slaughter weight in roughly six weeks. The accelerated growth is linked to health problems in the birds, including lameness and heart failure, before they are killed.

UK US and France

Connor Jackson of Anima told Plant Based News that Pret's pledge functions as cover rather than commitment, stating that in the years since Pret committed to phasing out frankenchickens, it has not transitioned chickens to higher welfare breeds. He added that Pret is selling fast-growing chickens similar to those sold by other major chains.

This connects to something we've been investigating on our YouTube channel -- the pattern of corporate interests systematically hollowing out voluntary food standards isn't unique to welfare pledges. We found the same playbook was used to weaken organic certification from the inside, turning standards meant to challenge industrial agriculture into marketing assets that protect it.

Beyond the sculpture tour, Anima has placed ads across London and is asking customers to sign a pledge to take a break from Pret until the chain begins its phase-out.

Pret

Pret recently launched a protein-focused menu refresh featuring new chicken, egg, and salmon items, alongside a new vegan option.

The wider question this campaign raises has less to do with Pret specifically and more to do with how voluntary welfare commitments function across the food industry. When deadlines arrive and the work hasn't started, the pledge becomes a marketing asset that absorbs scrutiny without changing what's on the shelf. Anima is betting that a giant mechanical chicken on the pavement is harder to ignore than a quietly updated PDF.

Putting it in context

Retail decisions rarely happen all at once. What looks like a sudden change of direction is usually the visible end of months of testing, costing and quiet negotiation behind the scenes.

Key takeaways

  • The stunt was organized by animal welfare group Anima, as reported by Plant Based News
  • Fast-growing chickens, often called frankenchickens by welfare campaigners, reach slaughter weight in roughly six weeks
  • Connor Jackson of Anima told Plant Based News that Pret's pledge functions as cover rather than commitment, stating that in the years since Pret committed to phasing out frankenchickens, it has not transitioned chickens to higher welfare breeds
  • Beyond the sculpture tour, Anima has placed ads across London and is asking customers to sign a pledge to take a break from Pret until the chain begins its phase-out
  • The wider question this campaign raises has less to do with Pret specifically and more to do with how voluntary welfare commitments function across the food industry

All told

None of this settles the wider question. It does make one thing harder to ignore: the pressure in the food industry has shifted, and others will have to respond to it.