Who Makes Aldi's Salad Kits?

In order to offer low prices to customers, as well as maximize profits, grocery chains often sell products under their own private labels. Regular Aldi shoppers already know big name brands are rarely seen on Aldi's shelves, but what they might not realize is that these products are often made by established companies hiding behind private Aldi labels. In the age of frequent grocery recalls, it's important to know who these suppliers are. Thanks to past food safety recalls, we know some of the companies behind Aldi's popular Little Salad Bar salad kits.

In 2020, Fresh Express, a brand that occasionally appears on Aldi shelves under its own name, was part of a recall of salads potentially contaminated by the parasite Cyclospora. This included a number of Little Salad Bar salad kits, bowls, and coleslaw. A little over a year later, Aldi's Little Salad Bar chef salad was part of a bigger recall of products by Ready Pac Foods, Inc. due to undeclared allergens. Also in 2021, Little Salad Bar salads, greens, and coleslaw were part of another recall involving both Fresh Express and Dole due to potential listeria contamination. 

Little Salad Bar's most recent recall in October 2024 revealed that BrucePac supplied the meat in some of the brand's salad bowls. The Santa Fe-style salad, chicken Caesar salad, and chef salad bowls were pulled from shelves as part of BrucePac's massive recall for listeria-tainted chicken. Little Salad Bar's bagged kits are meat-free and weren't affected.

Aldi's Little Salad Bar brand was not the only private label named in the 2020 Fresh Express recall. Bagged iceberg and garden salads from Giant Eagle, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco Signature Farms, ShopRite Wholesome Pantry, and Walmart Marketside were also revealed to be Fresh Express products. Fresh Express revolutionized commercial bagged lettuce in 1989 with its patented Keep-Crisp breathable bag. The semi-permeability of the plastic allows fresh oxygen in while allowing carbon dioxide to escape, keeping the greens fresher longer and making it possible to ship them across the country. As the inventor of Keep-Crisp, it's little wonder that Fresh Express would supply so many store brands with bagged salad mixes and kits. 

As the largest producer of fresh produce in the U.S., Dole is no stranger to salad greens recalls. Each bagged salad recall simultaneously reveals the store brands Dole supplies, including Aldi, Ahold Delhaize (parent company of grocery chains such as Food Lion and Stop & Shop), HEB, Kroger, Lidl, and Walmart. With world headquarters in Ireland and the U.S., Dole covers both European and American produce markets. Its 2025 fiscal year revenue totaled $9.2 billion.