One thing many Costco members love about the warehouse member-only store is the $5 rotisserie chicken. It’s a great deal and delicious, so there really is a lot to love.
But two California women aren’t loving the chicken. In fact, they have filed a class-action lawsuit accusing Costco of misleading customers with false advertising due to signs in Costco stores that claim the rotisserie chickens do not contain preservatives.
A lawsuit filed by Escondido resident Anatasia Chernov and Big Bear resident Bianca Johnston claims that Costco created “an overall net impression that the Rotisserie Chicken does not contain added preservatives” by including signs in stores and messages on their website that claim the chickens don’t contain preservatives.
Yet, they claim the chickens actually contain “two added preservatives—sodium phosphate and carrageenan.”
Costco admits that the chickens do contain these preservatives. In a statement, the company explained, “We use carrageenan and sodium phosphate to support moisture retention, texture, and product consistency during cooking. Both ingredients are approved by food safety authorities.”
However, due to the lawsuit, Costco has removed all signs claiming the chickens don’t contain added preservatives. A Costco representative explained to The Independent, “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.”
Even if the preservatives were included in the ingredients list on the packaging, the lawsuit claims that’s not good enough since the fine print would contradict the large signs.
In a statement on the Almeida Law Group website, California Managing Partner Wesley M. Griffith, states, “Costco’s own ingredient list contradicts its marketing. That’s unlawful, and it’s unfair.”
Chernov and Johnston claim they wouldn’t have purchased the rotisserie chickens if they had known they contained preservatives.
Watch the video below to hear more about this class-action lawsuit against Costco’s popular rotisserie chicken.