These 7 Costco Kirkland Signature Organic Items Aren't Worth The Splurge

Costco stocks a wide range of incredible products from an array of different brands that you can stock up on when you visit the membership club. But one of the main reasons to go to Costco is to snag yourself some of the store-brand offerings. Kirkland Signature products are often available at an affordable price, helping you save money when you're doing bulk grocery shopping. You can even find a ton of organic products from the brand. But just because Kirkland Signature tends to be on the more affordable end of the price spectrum doesn't mean that everything is a good deal — especially when it comes to the organic items, which can be pricier than conventional offerings.

The following Kirkland Signature organic items are a bit too pricey for my taste, so I generally avoid buying them. Of course, everyone has different opinions on specific price points, so you may not have any problems paying for these products. However, you might just realize that there are cheaper, more approachable ways to meet your organic cravings.

I eat a lot of roasted seaweed snacks. Not only do I think that they make an excellent snack on their own, but I also love using them for homemade hand rolls. And since they last for a long time in the pantry, I think it's worth stocking up on a large pack. At Costco, you can buy a 10-pack of Kirkland Signature's Organic Roasted Seaweed Snacks. That being said, they're not a very good deal. Other organic seaweed snacks, sold in smaller packs, can be found for much cheaper if you shop at other grocery stores.

To make matters worse, they're just not very good. These seaweed snacks are quite oily, and that fattiness can clash with other ingredients, depending on what you're eating. You might be better off seeking out your seaweed snacks elsewhere.

When you don't have any fresh fruit on hand, but you're craving something light, fruity, and portable, applesauce pouches are a solid option. They're shelf-stable, so you don't have to eat them right away, and they promise that apple-y flavor you love without actually having to wash and prep the actual fruit. And if you're at Costco anyway, you might consider buying Kirkland Signature's Organic Applesauce Pouches to keep stocked in your pantry.

While these applesauce pouches used to be pretty good, lately, Costco customers have taken to the internet to express their displeasure with its new flavor profile, with some saying that the sauce tastes like mealy apples. Since the dietary information has changed, it looks like Costco might be using a new recipe. If you're paying a premium for organic, you probably want your applesauce to taste good — that's why you might want to skip this product at Costco. Luckily, there are plenty of other applesauce brands to choose from at other grocery stores.

Costco is actually an excellent place to buy cheese, especially if you eat it regularly, since the portion sizes are so large. However, at Tasting Table, we've had some bad experiences with the brand's Organic Feta specifically. Out of 10 different Kirkland Signature cheeses, this variety landed in the second-to-worst spot on the entire list. And when I tried nine store-bought feta cheeses, I ranked Kirkland Signature's feta in dead last.

The problem? This cheese is exceptionally bland. Although the brine has a decent amount of saltiness, the feta itself barely has a discernible flavor at all. Good feta has a bold, salty flavor, and all this offers is a mild, crumbly creaminess that doesn't do much to enhance whatever you eat it with. Plus, considering the container of cheese is so large, you'd have to eat a wild amount of it to ensure it doesn't go bad before you finish it.

If you have kids, then there's a good chance you spend a decent amount of your time trying to convince them to eat more fruits and vegetables. When that task feels like an uphill battle, you might think about picking up some Kirkland Signature Organic Fruit and Vegetable Pouches from Costco. You'll get 24 individual pouches, one filled with a combination of apple, strawberry, and spinach, and the other containing apple, mango, yellow carrot, and peach.

Admittedly, these fruit and veg pouches might be okay for picky kids, but overall, the flavor isn't very good. And considering the fact that they're kind of pricey, you'd get a better price per serving by just blending some fresh fruits and vegetables instead. It'll probably taste better, and it'll save you a lot of money in the process. Since Costco sells a ton of organic produce, you don't even need to go to a separate store to get the necessary ingredients.

Love making soup? Then you might be in the market for some chicken stock. At Costco, you can get a pack of six cartons of Kirkland Signature Organic Chicken Stock for around $10 (at my local Costco at the time of writing, at least). But I really don't think this is a great deal, mostly because I'm not a fan of buying store-bought chicken stock in the first place. It's heavy and difficult to store, and you have to use up the whole container quickly, or else it'll go bad in your fridge in a matter of days. Paying even more for an organic version of stock makes even less sense, particularly when, as is the case with this Kirkland Signature stock, the flavor is watery and bland.

If you ask me, you're better off — both cost- and flavor-wise — opting for a product like Better Than Bouillon. It's around the same price as the chicken stock, and you'll get a ton of servings from a single purchase. Plus, you control how much water you want to add and, therefore, how concentrated the stock ends up tasting. It's also a lot easier to carry out of the store. Don't worry — Better Than Bouillon stocks organic options as well.

We all know that the best salsa is made from scratch (there are loads of recipes to choose from). Sometimes, though, you might not have it in you to do all that chopping and mixing just to make something to eat with your tortilla chips. That's when jarred salsa can come in handy. It's so easy to pop some open to enjoy as an appetizer or as a topper for different dishes. But before you buy Kirkland Signature Organic Salsa to stock in your pantry, you may want to pause. This salsa isn't particularly enjoyable, thanks to its watery consistency. It's also lacking the kind of bold, pronounced flavor that you probably want in your salsa.

Another issue I have with this salsa is the fact that the jars are just so massive. Sure, this size might make sense if you're throwing a party where you're serving chips and salsa, but if you're just buying it for your own family's casual snacking purposes, chances are, you're going to end up throwing a lot of that salsa out. If most of it eventually ends up in the trash, you're not really saving any money at all.

Not so long ago, I wrote that Kirkland Signature's Chicken Breasts were a Costco frozen staple that you should always keep on hand. But the past several times I've purchased the organic variety, I've noticed that the texture is a lot worse than it used to be. I'm not alone, apparently — many Costco lovers are pointing out that this chicken has a "woody" texture that creates a tough stringiness when you take a bite. 

I also have an issue with the packaging. When you try to separate the individual packages so you can take them out of the freezer to thaw at different times, they all too often leak everywhere when you cut them, creating a huge mess in your fridge and/or freezer. Although the unfortunate packaging may not be a dealbreaker on its own, when you factor in that you're paying even more for the organic version than you will for the conventional, you might realize that buying these chicken breasts isn't in your best interest.

I selected these Costco Kirkland Signature organic items from personal experience, but I also drew on feedback from Costco shoppers who have posted about these specific products on online forums like Reddit. When I pulled from these forums, posters generally complained about the flavor of the products involved. The products listed here simply don't taste very good, are overpriced for what they offer, or both. In some cases, the way the products are packaged makes it difficult to use them or to use all of the food up within the necessary time frame.