Costco is considered America’s favorite warehouse store for a reason. The annual membership grants you access to bulk savings, an in-store pharmacy, quiet luxury apparel, low-cost fuel, and much more. With that exclusivity, shoppers expect high-quality products across all categories, especially food. However, in recent weeks, customers have voiced their disappointment with Costco’s poultry selection, dubbing it "woody, stringy" and "totally inedible" on Reddit. Read more about the "nasty" chicken situation ahead.
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Shoppers are boycotting Costco's "woody" chicken.
In a heated Reddit thread, hundreds of shoppers slammed Costco for selling "woody, stringy" chicken, including one person who said they "refuse to buy [chicken] breasts from them anymore." And it’s not just a raw poultry issue, either. One customer noted that even "the breaded chicken tenders are woody."
"After 20+ years of chicken breasts being a staple in my diet, Costco's woody breasts have ruined chicken for me. It’s almost a phobia now," shared a Reddit user. "I don’t buy raw chicken anywhere now because I’m afraid of getting that texture in my mouth again. I’m grossed out just thinking about it now."
"Woody chicken so disgusted me that I’ve stopped eating chicken of any kind," shared someone else.
So, what does "woody" chicken taste like?
"When you bite into one it feels like it's still raw, despite being cooked properly. It has a tough kind of rubbery texture that almost 'crunches' as you bite through it," explained a Redditor.
"It means it’s kind of stringy," added another.
"I haven't bought Costco fresh chicken breasts in years," commented a shopper. They described Costco’s chicken as "rubbery, stringy, [and] totally inedible."
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Is Costco’s woody chicken indicative of a bigger problem?
Some say woody chicken is an industry-wide issue.
"The chicken industry as a whole has a woody chicken breast problem," someone said in another Costco Reddit thread, with someone else agreeing: "Woody/spaghetti chicken is just a symptom of the bigger problem."
It’s affecting different types of chicken products, too, including precooked chicken. "The rotisserie chicken tastes different now—more chemical aftertaste. So I don’t buy it anymore either," said a Costco shopper.
Despite the ongoing egg shortage, there isn’t a poultry meat shortage. That’s because eggs and chicken meat derive from two different types of birds: egg-laying hens and broiler chickens. The latter are bred to grow bigger and faster so they can be sent to slaughter quicker.
Broiler chickens "have disproportionate heart and lung development and are afflicted with abnormal muscle growth, leading to syndromes called 'wooden breast' and 'white striping.' Abnormal deposits of collagen and fat develop instead of healthy muscle," explained Humane World for Animals.
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Costco shoppers from more than 20 states have complained about woody chicken.
According to Reddit, shoppers representing 21 states have been impacted by Costco’s "woody, stringy" chicken:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
"I think it would be easier to ask who HASN'T had woody chicken from Costco," joked one Redditor.
