Costco’s rotisserie chicken lawsuit
Image credit: msounak_ via Unsplash
Costco’s famous $4.99 rotisserie chicken is facing a legal challenge as the company asks a federal judge to dismiss a proposed class-action lawsuit over its former “no preservatives” claim. The lawsuit alleges the chicken’s seasoning contains sodium phosphate and carrageenan, which plaintiffs argue function like preservatives, while Costco says the ingredients are FDA-approved, disclosed on the label, and not legally classified as preservatives. The company also argues shoppers suffered no price-related harm because the chicken remained $4.99 even after Costco removed the “no preservatives” language from signs and online listings.
Source
Yu HH, Chin YW, Paik HD. Application of Natural Preservatives for Meat and Meat Products against Food-Borne Pathogens and Spoilage Bacteria: A Review. Foods. 2021 Oct 12;10(10):2418. doi: 10.3390/foods10102418. PMID: 34681466; PMCID: PMC8535775.
Additional Reading
https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/healthcare/articles/legal-fight-over-costco-4-120016342.html
https://www.foodandwine.com/costco-rotisserie-chicken-class-action-lawsuits-2026-11913657