The animal welfare charity has launched a £1m campaign after accusing Pret A Manger of delaying its pledge to stop selling fast-growing chickens.

Animal welfare campaigners have placed a four-metre mechanical chicken sculpture outside a Pret A Manger café in Oxford Circus as part of a new campaign against the food chain’s chicken sourcing policy.

The stunt, organised by Anima, featured a car-sized Pret-style wrap containing a whole “frankenchicken” as the charity began a week-long tour of 15 Pret cafés across London.

Anima said the action forms part of a £1m public campaign after Pret moved its target for ending the use of fast-growing chickens from 2026 to 2032. The charity said Pret made the original pledge in 2018.

Connor Jackson, chief executive of Anima, said Pret had failed to move any of its chickens to slower-growing breeds since making the pledge.

“Pret’s so-called commitment is simply a cover for its continued inaction,” Jackson said. “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.”

He said the charity had tried to raise the issue with Pret privately before launching the public campaign.

Anima said Pret’s 2025 Progress Update recorded 0% use of slower-growing breeds in the UK, US and France. The charity said Pret’s revised plan sets a target of 50% by 2031 and 100% by 2032.

The campaign will include adverts across London Underground stations and carriages, plus full-page newspaper adverts. Anima said it is asking members of the public to stop buying from Pret until the company begins moving away from fast-growing chickens.

The campaign forms part of Project Slingshot, which is challenging factory farming and raising concerns over fast-growing chickens used by restaurant and food chains.

Anima is part of Anima International, an animal welfare organisation that has run campaigns across Europe for more than 25 years.