Out of This World Fast-Food: Supermarket Sends Chicken Nugget to Space to Celebrate Anniversary

Iceland Foods, which specialises in the sale of frozen foods, including prepared meals, has had a very successful year due to the coronavirus pandemic, reporting growth of 20.1 percent year-on-year. The company said that last week alone it sold 10 million chicken nuggets, strips, and chunks.

The British supermarket chain celebrated its 50th anniversary in quite a bizarre way – by sending one of its most popular products into space. Iceland Foods said it had launched a chicken nugget into the stratosphere, with the snack reaching an altitude of 33,528 metres (equivalent to 880,000 nuggets) in just two hours. While in the stratosphere, the beloved snack managed to withstand an extreme temperature of -60 degrees Celsius (-76 degrees Fahrenheit).

Commenting on the company’s extravagant way of celebrating its 50th anniversary, Trading Director Andrew Staniland said the following:

"2020 is a huge year for us as we celebrate our 50th birthday, and we wanted to find ways to mark the occasion, just like anyone celebrating a birthday in lockdown. What better way to show that our products are out of this world than by sending one of our customer favourites into space. We've all changed the way we shop in recent months and frozen food has never been so popular. We're looking forward to continuing to celebrate our 50th year with customers and thanking them for their support".

After its short trip to space, the nugget successfully returned to Earth. Its parachute opened at 19,000 metres, enabling the snack to safely land.