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- Costco gets into serious trouble over its $4.99 rotisserie chicken (marketrealist.com)
Costco’s Iconic Rotisserie Chicken Under Fire in Salmonella Lawsuit
NATIONAL NEWS – Costco, the retail giant known for its bulk offerings and beloved $4.99 rotisserie chicken, is now facing a class-action lawsuit alleging its popular poultry products are contaminated with salmonella. The complaint claims the company’s chicken processing plant in Fremont, Nebraska, consistently fails to meet U.S. government safety standards.
The lawsuit, filed by plaintiff Lisa Taylor of Affton, Missouri, stems from a 2023 study by the organization Farm Forward. That study, as reported by Reuters, highlighted serious concerns about Costco’s Lincoln Premium Poultry (LPP) plant, which processes over 100 million chickens annually for both the famous rotisserie chickens and Kirkland Signature raw chicken breasts.
According to the lawsuit, the Nebraska facility’s products have shown concerning levels of salmonella contamination, with over 9.8% of whole chickens and 15.4% of chicken parts testing positive. The complaint further alleges that despite these failures, potentially contaminated chicken is still distributed to Costco stores nationwide.
“Costco’s failure to control salmonella in its chicken supply is not a harmless technicality-it poses a real danger to consumers and violates their trust,” the complaint states.
Taylor, who regularly purchased rotisserie chicken from Costco, claims she was unaware of the salmonella risks and believes she overpaid for a product that could pose a serious health hazard. She is seeking compensatory and triple damages for all shoppers who purchased Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken and raw chicken parts since January 1, 2019, alleging violations of Washington consumer protection laws.
Costco’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken is famously a “loss leader,” priced below cost to draw customers into stores, where they often spend more on other items and membership fees. However, the lawsuit argues that even as a loss leader, knowingly selling a product with potential health risks is unacceptable.
Neither Costco nor its Nebraska processing plant has yet issued a public response to the complaint. This developing legal challenge could have significant implications for the retail giant and its highly popular, budget-friendly chicken.
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- Costco gets into serious trouble over its $4.99 rotisserie chicken (marketrealist.com)