Costco, a global membership-based warehouse club offering deeply discounted groceries and consumer goods in nearly 900 locations, was named in a class action lawsuit that claims its rotisserie chickens carry the risk of salmonella poisoning.
The litigation was filed on Feb. 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle. At issue is the company’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken, which is often a staple gracing dinner tables throughout the United States.
The lawsuit claims that Costco has failed to take corrective action after its Nebraska poultry facility repeatedly received the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) lowest food safety rating, Category 3, since 2019. According to the lawsuit, a Category 3 rating indicates the processing plant exceeded the USDA’s allowable contamination rates, thereby “failing” Salmonella safety tests.
“From late 2023 through mid-2025, Costco’s plant failed every single monthly Salmonella test, reflecting chronic, uncontrolled and unresolved contamination levels,” the lawsuit states.
“These sustained failures present an elevated risk profile that would be material to consumers purchasing Costco’s chicken products.”
Court documents also allege the company’s cost-cutting measures are affecting the safety of the food, creating conditions under which Salmonella could spread.
“What began as a strategy to keep prices low has spiraled into a serious public health concern,” the documents state.
According to the litigation, Costco continues to heavily market its low-priced rotisserie chickens as having “USDA Grade A” inspection marks, while failing to notify its members of the plant’s poor USDA ratings.
The lawsuit further alleges that the Salmonella contamination is a direct result of the way the company and its contractors breed and raise the chickens, noting the birds are often placed in overcrowded cages with poor ventilation, a lack of water, and unsanitary conditions.
This litigation followed a Jan. 22 class-action lawsuit claiming that Costco falsely advertised its rotisserie chickens as containing no preservatives. Court documents were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
A list of ingredients appearing in small print on the back of the package label determined that the chickens contained the additives sodium phosphate and carrageenan, both of which function to preserve food, the lawsuit states. It also accused the discount giant of misstatements and omissions on in-store signs as well as on its website.
According to the lawsuit, many consumers prefer preservative-free food for health reasons, and it accuses Costco of engaging in misleading and deceptive practices.
The Epoch Times has reached out to Costco for comment.
Headquartered in Issaquah, Washington, Costco is one of the largest poultry retailers in the country, selling nearly 150 million chickens each year. A large portion of those chickens is supplied by its Nebraska plant.