Costco’s rotisserie chicken is caught in a legal broiler

Costco‘s fans swear by its famously frugal take-out offerings, including its $1.50 hot dog-and-soda combo and $1.99 food court pizza. Then there’s the Kirkland Signature Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken, a lauded dinner staple that has maintained its $4.99 price tag for 17 years, regardless of fluctuations in the economy.

Despite the chicken’s widespread popularity, it has landed the big-box warehouse club in hot water with not one, but two recently filed class-action lawsuits claiming that the retailer’s ready-to-eat chicken isn’t as healthy as advertised or safe to consume.

The first, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Jan. 22, alleges that the rotisserie chicken contains two added preservatives — sodium phosphate and carrageenan — despite being marketed as having no preservatives, no artificial flavors or colors, no MSG and no gluten, according to a photo included in the complaint.

A second lawsuit, filed on Feb. 12 in the U.S. District Court in Seattle, argues that Costco knowingly sells chickens contaminated with Salmonella after inspection records found that the retailer’s poultry processing plant in Fremont, Nebraska, failed every monthly Salmonella test from late 2023 through mid-2025. Indeed, the facility, Lincoln Premium Poultry, earned the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) lowest food safety rating, a category three, in 92% of reporting periods since opening in 2019.

The two California-based plaintiffs named in the first complaint claim Costco “has systemically cheated customers out of tens — if not hundreds — of millions of dollars by falsely advertising its Kirkland Signature Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken as containing ‘no preservatives.’” They further accuse Costco of violating several consumer protection laws, including one in Washington state, where the retailer is headquartered.

Costco said that it has since removed any statements about preservatives from signs and online presentations for the rotisserie chicken. In a statement to USA Today, Costco explained that it uses carrageenan and sodium phosphate “to support moisture retention, texture, and product consistency during cooking,” adding that both ingredients are “approved by food safety authorities.”

Want more great food writing and recipes? Sign up for Salon’s free food newsletter, The Bite.

“These sustained failures present an elevated risk profile that would be material to consumers purchasing Costco’s chicken products,” the Feb. suit states.

The statement adds, “Costco has prioritized keeping its chickens at $4.99 over ensuring those chickens are safe to eat, all while holding out its poultry to consumers as top-quality and wholesome.” The plaintiff in the second suit is seeking compensatory, treble and restitution damages for herself and other Costco customers.

No trial dates have been set in either case.