Pret A Manger, the UK sandwich retailer, announced last week that it will source all chicken used in its products from higher welfare sources. The chickens reared in Suffolk, are given 20% greater space than is the industry standard. The move will come into force in all 208 Pret outlets across the UK.
This decision makes Pret the first UK cafe chain to source all its chicken from higher welfare sources. This is certainly a positive move towards more animal-friendly fast food and may bring greater attention to the need for greater compassion towards animals.
I reckon that Pret can lead the way for a move to higher welfare meats from a range of UK sandwich chains and cafes. In addition, it would be great if we could see a wider range of vegetarian and vegan options on the menus of these outlets. This would make them much more animal-friendly and help them cater towards everybody living a OneKind lifestyle.
Although the greater space Pret suppliers will be giving the birds is not comparable to really higher-welfare systems such as organic or free range it is a step in the right direction which will benefit vast numbers of animals.