Chicken nugget launched into space from Deeside as Iceland celebrates turning 50

ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR THE CHICKEN NUGGET

• Iceland celebrates its 50^th birthday by sending one of its most iconic products into space: The Chicken Nugget
• Iceland sold more than 10 million of its Nuggets, Chunks and Strips last week alone
• First ever nugget in space travelled 110,000 feet above Earth

Iceland has sent one of its most beloved products – the humble chicken nugget, which enjoys stratospheric sales – 110,000 feet into space, to celebrate the supermarket’s 50^thbirthday.

The chicken nugget took around 1 hour 45 minutes to reach 110,000 feet above the earth. The lucky nugget left behind grey skies, COVID 19, Brexit and Piers Morgan to shoot through the troposphere to the stratosphere to enjoy momentary peace, clearer skies, spacecraft and possible sightings of the world’s highest flying birds such as the Rüppell’s Vulture and the Common Crane. 

What’s more, it would have felt right at home in the stratosphere in freezing temperatures of around – 60°C. 

Having reached its peak height, Iceland’s chicken nugget then rocketed back down to earth at 200 miles per hour, until its parachute launched 19km above ground level for a safe landing.

The nugget was launched into the stratosphere from a location close to Iceland’s head office in Deeside, North Wales, as the supermarket celebrates a series of huge milestones. 

As the humble nugget went stratospheric, Iceland was crowned king of the family favourite as sales of its own-brand breaded chicken products, of which it has over 60 varieties, soared at the supermarket, overtaking Tesco, Asda and Aldi. This follows a hugely successful year for the retailer which saw Kantar name it the fastest growing high street supermarket with a 20.1% year on year growth.*

Chicken nuggets have remained a staple in the frozen aisle throughout Iceland’s 50-year history, selling more than 10 million Chicken Nuggets, Chunks and Strips last week alone.

It is believed that this is the first ever chicken nugget to be sent into space, reaching heights of over 110,000 feet above Earth, which is around 880,000 Iceland Chicken Nuggets high.

Andrew Staniland, Trading Director at Iceland said: “2020 is a huge year for us as we celebrate our 50^th 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 50^th year with customers and thanking them for their support.”

Iceland partnered with Sent into Space, a team of experts in the field of stratospheric exploration to create the perfect vessel for the nugget to travel in.

To learn more about Iceland’s range, please visit www.iceland.co.uk/