Via iStockphoto / @shanerichter3 TikTok
A woman found a sharp object in an Aldi's pack of chicken and contacted the USDA to file an official complaint.
A woman thought dinner was covered after buying uncooked chicken strips from Aldi. Shane Richter (@shanerichter3) shared the shocking experience after purchasing a pack of chicken from the popular grocery store.
But as she began breading the Kirkwood-branded chicken, she found a foreign object. What appeared to be a large, sharp splinter of a circuit board was embedded in one of the chicken pieces.
She explained that she pulled the object out before retrieving her phone to photograph it. Then placed it beside the piece of chicken where she had discovered it. Her video racked up 17,000 views.
She Calls For A Recall
In a comment addressing the incident, Richter agreed with a viewer who said she would be “shaken up.”
“Thank you yes I was..because it was just very shocking, I couldn’t believe it,” she wrote.
The incident raised concerns about how the object could have ended up in food that was packaged and sold to consumers.
“Im sure thats not the only piece that made it into whatever batch of chicken the place was processing,” she added, calling for a recall or another public safety response.
The creator also expressed disbelief that the chicken had nearly made it to the dinner table before she noticed the foreign object.
“It was not cool at all and I just cant believe that it made it all the way to being sold and was close to cooking and eating it with my Family,” she wrote.
Why Hasn’t The Complaint Been Investigated?
After discovering the object, Richter said she attempted to contact both Aldi and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to report the incident.
However, the reporting process presented an unexpected obstacle. The USDA’s poultry complaint hotline told her she would need to preserve and freeze the chicken for an investigation.
That posed a serious problem.
She had already thrown the chicken away, but had kept the foreign object and the original packaging.
“So this isn’t going to be investigated unless i have the raw chicken???? That’s super safe for everyone else!!” she wrote in a follow-up comment.
Her frustration was compounded by what she described as a lack of response from the retailer. Richter said she had also completed the online complaint form on Aldi’s website but had not heard back.
“I don’t understand how the publics safety isn’t more important,” she added. She allegedly had tried calling both Aldi and the USDA the previous night but found them closed or unreachable.
Have Other Food Products Been Recalled For Foreign Objects?
The woman’s concerns come amid previous food recalls involving foreign objects.
According to the Associated Press, foreign-object contamination is a recurring reason for food recalls in the United States.
Past incidents have involved rocks in Trader Joe’s cookies, insects in its broccoli-cheese soup, and pieces of plastic in Banquet frozen chicken strips.
The problem can arise at different points in the food production process.
Has Aldi Recalled Products Over Foreign Material Before?
Aldi’s own product recall records show that the retailer has previously taken action over products potentially contaminated with foreign materials.
According to the company’s official product recall page, Aldi announced a recall of Casa Mamita Chicken & Cheese Taquitos in January 2025 due to potential foreign material. In April 2025, the retailer also stopped selling Park Street Deli Pork Carnitas over similar contamination concerns.
The company’s recall history also includes an earlier incident involving Kirkwood. In May 2019, Aldi announced a voluntary recall of Kirkwood Buffalo and Honey BBQ Crispy Chicken Strips from select stores because of the potential presence of foreign material.
The recall listings do not establish a connection between those earlier incidents and Richter’s discovery. Still, she is left questioning how a potentially dangerous foreign object could make its way into a product intended for family dinner.
BroBible reached out to Aldi via email and Richter via TikTok direct message for comment.