An Aldi Shopper Just Found An Unexpected Surprise In Their Chicken Breast

Of all the popular groceries to purchase at Aldi, you probably never thought wireless earbud chicken breasts would be one. Recently, a user posted in the r/Aldi subreddit that they found an earbud wedged between two slices of their package of chicken breasts. Adding to the strange story, the user only discovered it after having cooked and eaten some of the packaged poultry (hopefully, the chicken was at least cooked to the perfect temperature).

The users had a field day in the comments; some took guesses at what the chicken might have been listening to, one suggesting, "I Believe I Can Fly," while another saw this as a time to celebrate the return of prizes packaged with your food like toys in cereal boxes. Others who work in food shared similar stories or considered this a cautionary tale, suggesting the user contact Aldi's corporate offices.

Mistakes in packaging like this are bound to occur. The USDA has guidelines around foreign objects in meat or poultry products to keep your food earbud-free (and your coffee turtle-free), but there are still ways for something that doesn't belong to slip into your food. Pieces may fall off of equipment, or earbuds may fall out of ears. Some plants will run their processed items through metal detectors, but that doesn't catch everything. As seen in the Reddit comments, some kitchens and plants that handle food are starting to ban earbud use.

If you find an earbud packaged in your poultry and you don't want a used, unpaired earbud soaked in chicken with no charger included, it's best to contact the store or the FDA by phone or online. If you do want new earbuds because, say, you work at a chicken processing plant and one disappeared on your shift, you can find suitable options like the Beats Fit Pro. Just be sure to remove them before you hit the packaging line.