What, exactly, is "natural" food? To us, it's food that hasn't been messed with. We know that natural food tastes better and we're sure it's better for you too. Regretfully, saying "natural" is a bit like saying, "I love you" on the first date; it happens way more than it should and rarely means much. That's why it's always better to get to know someone first:
You will never find artificial preservatives in Pret food, period. We believe food should be eaten at the optimum time. Trying to extend its life only results in less flavor and nutrients. 
We're big fans of biology, but not so clever with chemistry. That's why we avoid chemicals in Pret food. It is quite useful however to know the ones commonly used in fast food today. With names like "phosphoric acid,"sodium sorbate","butylated hydroxyanisole","hexamine" and "calcium benzoate," you can get a really high score in Scrabble. We keep any processing of our food to a minimum. Pret juices, dairy products, produce, soups and meats have never been frozen or ultra high-heat pasteurized. You may have noticed we have a big French oven in every Pret shop. We bake our baguettes, croissants and cookies fresh throughout the day. We source all we can locally, to mention a few:
- our bread, bagels, muffins & cakes are baked daily in NYC
- our apple juices hail from the Hudson Valley
- our yogurt comes from the happy, healthy cows of Ronnybrook Farm in Dutchess County, New York
- our chicken comes from the family farms of Murray's in Pennsylvania
At the end of every day, we donate our food that didn't sell to City Harvest. Most weeks, we provide free meals for over 4,000 hungry new Yorkers. It's a great way to be sure our food stays fresh while helping a great charity.
© Pret A Manger 2012 
