Costco’s rotisserie chickenis at the center of a new class action lawsuit, with an animal rights nonprofit alleging that the retailer’s Nebraska processing plant is contaminated with Salmonella.
Filed Thursday in Seattle federal court by plaintiff Lisa Taylor, of Affton, Missouri, the proposed suit cites a December Farm Forward study criticizing safety conditions at Costco’s Lincoln Premium Poultry plant, which opened in 2019 and processes over 100 million chickens annually, Reuters reports.
The complaint alleges that the Fremont plant, which is not named as a defendant, “consistently” violates U.S. Department of Agriculture safety standards, with over 9.8 percent of whole chickens and 15.4 percent of chicken parts testing positive for salmonella, according to the outlet.
Taylor reportedly claims she regularly purchased one or two Costco rotisserie chickens per month at St. Louis-area warehouses and believes she overpaid because the retailer failed to disclose a salmonella contamination risk.
“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 is pursuing compensatory and triple damages for shoppers who purchased Kirkland Signature rotisserie chickens and raw chicken parts since January 1, 2019, claiming that Costco violated Washington consumer protection laws and broke an implied promise that its chickens are safe to eat.
The Independent has contacted Costco for comment.
Costco famously sells its Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken for just $4.99, with global sales of more than 157 million birds in 2025, the company reported at last month’s annual meeting, according to Reuters.
The latest lawsuit follows a similar class-action filed by two customers in California last month, claiming Costco falsely advertised the Kirkland Signature rotisserie chickens as preservative-free.
"The presence of sodium phosphate and carrageenan, added preservatives which function as such in the Rotisserie Chicken, contradict the overall net impression that Costco’s ‘No Preservatives’ representations and advertising create," the lawsuit states.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration deems sodium phosphate generally safe for healthy individuals when consumed in food, but it may pose risks for people with kidney disease, potentially causing mineral imbalances, bone issues and heart problems.
Carrageenan, derived from red seaweed, is used to thicken and preserve processed foods. While the FDA considers food-grade carrageenan safe, some studies link it to digestive issues and inflammation, though its degraded form, poligeenan, is known to increase cancer risk.
A Costco spokesperson responded to The Independent’s request for comment at the time with the following statement: “To maintain consistency among the labeling on our rotisserie chickens and the signs in our warehouses/online presentations, we have removed statements concerning preservatives from the signs and online presentations.”
“We use carrageenan and sodium phosphate to support moisture retention, texture, and product consistency during cooking. Both ingredients are approved by food safety authorities,” the statement concluded.
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