A couple went viral on TikTok after exposing Costco for apparently selling them two parasite-laced chicken breasts. The only issue? Viewers were convinced that the so-called parasite was simply a vein. As of Sunday, the clip had amassed more than 212,000 views.
Gaby Gaubert (@gaby_gaubert) said in a recent video that she and her fiancé recently shopped at Costco, where they bought organic chicken breasts by the brand Kirkland Signature. As they were getting ready to prepare dinner, however, the two noticed something unusual about the meat.
“Wait until I show you what I found inside of this chicken from Costco,” Gaubert said.
Gaubert then showed viewers the meat she purchased: Kirkland Signature organic boneless and skinless chicken breasts. Some of the raw meat was on the couple’s kitchen countertop, while other pieces remained sealed.
“Look at this,” Gaubert said, procuring a pair of tweezers. “Do you see this?”
Then, Gaubert carefully pulled out a thin, worm-like substance from inside the chicken. She and her fiancé were in disbelief as Gaubert pulled the item, which she later identified as a parasite, from the breast.
“That is a parasite,” Gaubert said. “Straight from the chicken.”
“Gross,” her fiancé, who is not shown on-camera, replied. “I’m never eating chicken again.”
Unusual things found in Costco products
Gaubert and her fiancé aren’t the first content creators to complain about finding alleged parasites in their food. Earlier this month, another Costco shopper said she found roundworms in eggs she purchased from the store. And on Reddit, another user there complained about a similar issue.
@gaby_gaubert I could throw up. #costco #chicken #parasite #beware ♬ original sound – gaby_gaubert
But commenters expressed doubt that Gaubert had bought tainted chicken. Instead, many reassured her in the comments section that the so-called parasite was simply a vein.
“THAT IS A VEIN,” one person said.
“It would be moving if [it were] a parasite,” another added.
“That looks like a vein not a parasite,” a third viewer wrote.
At first, Gaubert wasn’t swayed. In response to that comment, she wrote, “Veins? Really? I’ve eaten and inspected my chicken for… my whole life and I’ve never seen that?! Is that a thing?!”
Indeed it is. In March 2022, another TikToker got flamed for claiming they found parasites in their Costco rotisserie chicken only for viewers to later inform them that the chicken was fine. And even if parasites were present in either scenario, cooking would’ve likely killed them. To inactive most parasites, according to a 2019 paper on the subject, meat must only be cooked at 140 to 167 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 30 minutes.
Even so, the thought of eating parasite-infected chicken scared some viewers from ever wanting to buy meat from Costco.
“I stopped buying Costco chicken [a] long time ago,” one user shared. “Even if it is a vein lol.”
“Nah idc if it’s a ‘vein,’” another added. “I’m going to find myself a local butcher or farm now.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Gaubert via TikTok comment and to Costco through its media request form.
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