COSTCO customers have been complaining about the wholesaler’s rotisserie chicken for months, with some going so far as to claim the dinner dish is making them sick.
For only $4.99, Costco shoppers can purchase a budget-friendly fully-cooked tender chicken.
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While this stellar deal is attractive to many, some shoppers have begun to complain about its taste.
Concerns arose in March after one customer took to Reddit to write about a “distinct chemical flavor” in the dinner dish.
“I was at Costco today and bought my rotisserie chicken just like every time I'm there. We tasted it and it has a distinct chemical flavor to it, really off putting,” Reddit user u/MillennialModernMan wrote.
“Same thing happened last time, about 3 weeks ago. This was never a problem before, been buying it for years, has something changed recently?”
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The post quickly drew the attention of other Redditors, with dozens of shoppers claiming there was a “chemical” taste.
At the time, experts suggested the use of phosphates was the culprit for the alleged funky taste.
Now, several months later, more customers are still complaining about the dinner deal – only now they claim the chicken has been making them sick.
A separate Reddit post from July 20 flagged the purported issue, writing: “The rotisserie chicken gives us diarrhea every single time.”
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The post has since been deleted from the Costco thread, but garnered over 700 comments with other shoppers chiming in.
“For what it's worth the rotisserie chickens make me a little sick to my stomach too. I don't have the explosive reaction but I always need a tums or three after eating some. I also don't eat the skin so that can't be it,” one user wrote.
Many suggested the sickness was brought on by an allergy or poor hygiene.
However, one keen-eyed user claimed that Costco’s chicken uses carrageenan as a thickening ingredient.
The additive is often used by food manufacturers and has a history of harmful gastrointestinal effects.
According to Healthline, the use of carrageenan may promote or cause inflammation, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, glucose intolerance, colon cancer or food allergies after consumption.
A representative with Costco's Nashua, New Hampshire, location confirmed carrageenan is listed as an ingredient on the package for the rotisserie chicken.
It was not immediately clear if the ingredient is used across all chickens available at stores across the country.
Several other Costco shoppers have reported similar symptoms after consuming the rotisserie chicken, including AllRecipes editor Courtney Kassel.
“We had a Costco rotisserie chicken on hand so we shredded some and added it to our pesto pasta last night,” Kassel said.
“Nothing else out of the ordinary. Almost all of us were up with a stomach ache or cramps all night, and I was still bloated when I woke up this morning.”
It was not immediately clear what carrageenan is used for as a thickening agent for the chicken.
However, some social media users have suggested it may be used for the brine solution.
Costco did not immediately respond to The U.S. Sun’s requests for comment.
