The Best And Worst Foods To Buy At Aldi

We're all looking for ways to save money on our grocery bills, and if there's an Aldi near you, that might be the way to go. With Aldi hitting a growth spurt in the US market, you're more likely than ever to find yourself heading to this European favorite for your shopping. Not everything there is a great buy, though, so let's talk about some of the best and worst things you can find at Aldi.

There are a few choices when it comes to avocados from Aldi, and while you can certainly pick up a sack of them to ripen at home, you can usually find pre-ripened avocados, too. They're more expensive, and according to The Guardian, that's not the only thing that makes them a bad buy. There are no real regulations on avocados and other fruits that are advertised as ripe or ready-to-use, and oftentimes, they're either not ripe at all or they're a day from going bad. Plan ahead, spend less, and give these a miss.

One of the big draws of Aldi is that shopping there has a noticeable impact on your bottom line, but not all of Aldi's deals are good ones. When Clark did a toe-to-toe price comparison between Aldi, Kroger, and Walmart, they found Aldi's chicken and turkey were regularly higher than one or both of the other stores. Cheat Sheet found the same thing, and said that in order to get the best deal, you should check the sale prices at other stores before heading off to Aldi — a valuable tip, especially if you buy in bulk and freeze a lot of your meat.

Who doesn't love pizza night? There's nothing wrong with picking up a premade pizza for those nights when you just can't, but Aldi's pizzas — and pizza crusts — leave a lot to be desired. Their store brand pizzas are pretty light on the toppings and bland when it comes to seasoning, and if you're looking for something that's going to be a fast but filling meal, you'll probably find yourself heading back to the fridge.

Delishably took a look at their original pizza crusts, another viable option if you're looking for something quick and easy. Their review was that it was a less-than-stellar crust: thin, bland, and little more than a vehicle for your own toppings. You're better off with takeout.  

All those super-cheap vegetables come at a price, and farmers are paying it. In 2014, The Irish Farmer's Association issued a statement condemning Aldi for reducing the price they were paying for vegetables by as much as 10 percent. There's a huge problem with that, and it boils down to Aldi's hesitance to pay farmers enough to invest in machinery, upgrades, and technologies while still keeping their books in the black. The message wasn't received, and in 2016 AgriLand was reporting on protests staged by farmers at both Aldi and Lidl. Selling fresh, sustainable, locally-grown produce at rock-bottom prices was presenting farmers with a serious threat to their livelihood, and if there's one thing all foodies can agree on, it's the need to support the world's farmers.

Let's face it, sugar-heavy cereals just taste better. That doesn't mean we should be eating them all the time, though, and Aldi is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to putting sugar in their cereals. According to The Telegraph, Aldi's Harvest Morn Choco Rice isn't just high in sugar, but there was an 18.2 percent increase in its sugar content between 2012 and 2015. When Choice rated 170 breakfast cereals based on a number of factors, there were a couple Aldi cereals that got their 5-star rating. There were plenty that got a 2.5 rating, too, and as if that isn't bad enough, they're cereals that sound healthy — like Honey Nut Corn Flakes and Power Grain. When it comes to Aldi cereals, read your labels.

Aldi veterans know you'd better be bringing your own reusable shopping bags, but at the same time, shoppers have noticed a hugely wasteful practice: wrapping veggies in plastic — and sometimes even on Styrofoam trays. They use them so much, in fact, that The Sydney Morning Herald even reported on the hypocrisy, along with the revelation that in 2015, each NSW store created an average of one ton of plastic wrap waste on its own. Multiply that per store, and those wrapped veggies are canceling out a lot of the good you're doing with your cloth shopping bag. News.com.au did some more investigating, and found the only reason stores do it is to make their produce look more special — it has nothing to do with freshness or quality, so if you'd like to help send Aldi a message, skip the wrapped produce.

Milk is such a common kitchen staple you might not think twice about where it comes from, but Aldi — along with competitors like Lidl — have been accused of putting some serious pressure on dairy farmers. Selling cheap milk means getting it at a lower price, and in 2012 The Guardian reported on a number of dairy farmers who were being forced into bankruptcy because of stores like Aldi. Even paying a couple pennies less for that carton of milk was putting entire organizations out of business, and while everyone likes to save, this is one purchase that can have some devastating consequences.

When it comes to carrageenan, we're still not sure just how bad it is. Prevention says this natural thickening agent — often added to low-fat and fat-free dairy products — is possibly linked to an increased risk of cancer, and it's almost certainly connected to several digestive issues.

Some Aldi dairy products can contain carrageenan, according to findings from the Center for Science in the Public Interest's Clean Labels report. While Aldi has removed a lot of additives from their shelves, carrageenan isn't on the list of ingredients left out of their Simply Nature line, and while it's not prohibited by any health agency, the CSPI still lists it as one of the additives those with digestive issues should be cautious of.

Getting a good, rich butter means the difference between a good dish and a great one, especially when it comes to baked goods. Prices of butter have been steadily on the rise, though, and it's not just at Aldi — in 2017, they were just one of a number of stores who were raising their prices to be more in-line with global demand.

Since that's the case and you're going to be paying more anyway, you might as well go for the good stuff — and that's not any of the brands you'll find at Aldi. And there is a measurable difference in butter quality, with Kerrygold taking top honors. The Kitchn says it's the year-around green grass Kerrygold's cows graze on that makes a difference, and since you can taste it in everything, just go for the good stuff.

In October 2017, news agencies like ABC started reporting on a strange side effect of buying certain types of fish. An Associated Press investigation had found some brands of fish — including Aldi's Sea Queen — were being processed in China by North Korean workers. Further investigation found the North Korean government took as much as 70 percent of these workers' salaries, essentially using the fish processing industry to siphon money from China into North Korea.

Sounds crazy, right? Reporters found a ton of evidence linking thousands of North Korean workers, the nuclear-armed government, and the fish you're buying not just from Aldi, but a number of North American and European stores. Look for product labels indicating fish was processed in China, and you might want to think twice about buying.

In 2016, Aldi announced they would be phasing out the sale of eggs from hens restricted to cages by 2025, but in the meantime, you'll have to be careful if you want to get eggs from responsibly raised hens at Aldi. Currently, Aldi carries a few different options when it comes to eggs, and while there are free range eggs available at many locations, Aldi says they "respond to customer demand."

According to what Ethical Consumer found, though, the lower-priced eggs Aldi stocks are "enriched cage" eggs, which is only a slight improvement over the tight confinement and cruel conditions suffered by hens forced to live in the battery cages many places have outlawed. If you're looking for something cruelty-free, be extra-careful when picking up your Aldi eggs.