A pair of class-action lawsuits slams Costco’s Kirkland Signature Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken
Two proposed class action lawsuits are taking aim at one of Costco’s beloved products.
Don’t worry, the $1.50 hot dog-soda combo is still untouched. It’s a different bargain product that has found itself at the center of a pair of complaints targeting the wholesale retailer.
If you’ve ever shopped at Costco, you’re most likely familiar with the company’s Kirkland Signature Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken — a $4.99 delicacy and customer favorite that until 2024 were sold in rows of plastic clamshell containers. Last year, the company sold more than 157 million of the now-bagged chickens globally.
Business opening or closing in your neighborhood? Email the reporter at [email protected].
In the past month, two lawsuits have called out the Issaquah, Washington-based company’s smash hit of a chicken product.
The first was filed Jan. 22 in California and claims Costco falsely advertised the Kirkland Signature chicken as preservative-free, allegedly “cheat(ing) customers out of tens — if not hundreds — of millions of dollars.” A white sign in the warehouse store’s rotisserie section had labeled the chickens as free of gluten, MSG, preservatives and artificial flavors or colors.
In reality, the chickens contain carrageenan and sodium phosphate, two food-safe additives.
Costco uses the substances “to support moisture retention, texture, and product consistency during cooking,” the company said in a statement to The New York Times. “Both ingredients are approved by food safety authorities.”
The wholesaler has since removed labels advertising its rotisserie chickens as preservative-free from in-store displays and online presentations, according to The New York Times.
But the hits continued last week for the $4.99 poultry product.
A second lawsuit was filed Thursday in Seattle — this time citing claims by an animal rights nonprofit that Costco’s Fremont, Nebraska, plant suffers from “systematic” salmonella contamination. The complaint seeks damages for anyone who has bought a Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken or raw chicken parts since 2019.
According to a December study published by Farm Forward, Costco’s Lincoln Premium Poultry facility “consistently fails” U.S. Department of Agriculture safety standards, with more than 1 in 10 whole birds and 1 in 6 packages of chicken breast testing positive for salmonella.
Neither Costco nor the Nebraska plant responded to requests for comment Friday, according to Reuters.
