Pret a Manger's 'fresh' sandwiches are filled with chicken that comes frozen from Brazil


A high street food chain which boasts its ingredients are 'the best,natural stuff' has come under fire for importing frozen chicken from Brazil.

The meat in Pret a Manger's 'Just Made' chicken sandwiches is frozen and then shipped more than 6,000 miles to the UK.

The£200million-a-year firm says it uses the South American chicken becausethe animals are treated well there.It claims the meat is produced inbetter 'animal welfare' conditions than those employed by companieswhich supply rival sandwich makers.

When it arrives in the UK,Pret's Brazilian chicken is defrosted, marinated and poached beforebeing used in a range of sandwiches such as coronation chicken, simplecaesar chicken, and chicken and red roasted peppers.

The companyearned £8.6million last year from its range of chickenproducts.Although there is no suggestion that the imported meat isharmful to health, campaigners have raised concerns at boasts that itis fresh.

The revelation comes a week after it emerged thechain's 'spankingly fresh' sushi was in fact frozen in Chile andshipped in.This outraged environmentalists, who warned of the hugecarbon footprint this created.Pret, which has built its reputation on'good natural food', is not required to state on food labels where itsmeat is sourced from.

Packaging on its chicken range says: 'JustMade (never from a factory). A fresh Pret sandwich doesn't need a "useby" date.'We make our food in every Pret kitchen using amazingingredients. The best, natural stuff you'd want to use at home.'

On its website it boasts that its chicken is never processed more than needed.

CorinneLow, of the British Standards Trading Institute, said the wording wasmisleading as the government's Foods Standards Agency counted anythingwhich has been frozen as having been processed.

 She said: 'Theterm "fresh ingredients" should only be used where its intended meaningis no processed ingredients have been used.'

Robert Newbery, thechief poultry advisor to the National Farmers' Union, said: 'Processedmeat should carry clearer labelling to encourage people to buy British.'

BrianYoung, director general of the British Frozen Foods Federation,however, claimed meat producers here could not meet the demand.Britainshipped in 143,000 tons of cheap chicken, the equivalent of 60millionbirds, from Brazil and Thailand alone last year.

YesterdayPret's co-founder Julian Metcalfe pledged that by 2012 Pret would sellonly British free-range chicken - which costs on average three timesmore.Mr Metcalfe said: 'People should buy less chicken or buy properchicken. We have got to move free range by 2012. This is about biggerissues than the word "fresh".