According to reports, a lawsuit says Costco is breaking livestock welfare regulations by producing hens that are too big and too quickly.
The lawsuit, which was filed on June 13 on behalf of two Costco shareholders, references a hidden camera investigation by Mercy for Animals, a Los Angeles-based animal rights organisation.
The tape, which was collected in 2021, purports to reveal the true cost of Costco's "cheap chicken."
According to the report, the facility is breaking Nebraska and Iowa livestock welfare standards by producing hens in an unnatural manner.
According to the lawsuit, birds in the facility become so fat that they can't even stand up on their own to obtain food or drink, finally dying from dehydration.
The lawsuit also contends that what happens to these birds is not by chance. Costco is aware that its chickens are overbred, according to the report.
Costco's rotisserie weights a full pound more than Walmart's 2-pound rotisserie, averaging three pounds.
Costco issued a statement to various news outlets at the time, claiming that it is "dedicated to upholding the highest standards of animal welfare."
Every year, Costco sells about 106 million rotisserie chickens in its stores. Each week, the Nebraska plant processes around 2 million hens.
The warehouse network has been chastised for its treatment of hens on its farms, prompting demands that it raise the $4.99 set price and use the proceeds to improve facility standards.
In February, the Nebraska warehouse grappled with an avian flu outbreak that infected several of its flocks, resulting in large bird culls. To stop the spread of the disease, almost 500,000 chickens were murdered in facilities.