Pret a Manger under fire again, this time over chicken sourcing

by Jennifer Whitehead, Brand Republic 02-Nov-09, 09:10

LONDON - Sandwich chain Pret a Manger has been criticised over its food labelling stance for the second time in a week, this time because it labels sandwiches made with chicken sourced from Brazil as "fresh".

Pret a Manger says it sources the chicken from Brazil because the animal welfare standards at the factory it uses are higher than at British rivals and also because Brazil is able to supply the volume it needs. The meat is frozen and shipped to the UK, where it is prepared for Pret's sandwiches.

The Sunday Telegraph highlighted the fact that Pret's packaging says the sandwiches contain "the best, natural stuff you'd want to use at home" and "just made with preservative-free, fresh, natural ingredients" as part of its campaign to simplify food labelling.

Last week the newspaper tackled the company over the sourcing of fish for its sushi, which is shipped from Chile.

In both instances, Pret a Manger has changed details on its website, following publication of the story. In the case of the chicken, Pret a Manger has told the newspaper that it is unhappy about sourcing from Brazil and that the policy would change.

Comments

Ehsan Khodarahmi - 02/11/2009

Ethics seems to be a good theory only and only these days. Companies like Pret a Manger may just use the word for their PR blunt, but not in their business practice \(otherwise how would they make money?) When they get caught they just want want to resolve all their wrongdoings with a "sorry". Let's see how long such companies last...