The Best And Worst Foods To Buy At Aldi

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We're all looking for ways to save money on our grocery bills. 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 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 more expensive than equivalent prodcuts at one or both of the other stores. 

In order to get the best deal, 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. Its 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.

Consieder taking a look at Aldi's original pizza crusts, another viable option if you're hoping for something quick and easy. However, Aldi's is a less-than-stellar crust that's said to be 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 it was paying for vegetables by as much as 10%. It all boils down to Aldi's hesitance to pay farmers enough so they can 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 presented farmers with a serious threat to their livelihood. Surely, 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. For instance, Aldi's Harvest Morn Choco Rice isn't just high in sugar, but there was an 18.2% 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, these are cereals that sound healthy — like Honey Nut Corn Flakes and Power Grain. When it comes to Aldi cereals, be sure to read your labels.

Aldi veterans know you'd better be bringing your own reusable shopping bags. Yet, at the same time, shoppers have noticed a hugely wasteful practice: wrapping veggies in plastic — and sometimes even presenting them on styrofoam trays. They use them so much, in fact, that The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that in 2015, each store in Australia's New South Wales created an average of one ton of plastic wrap waste. 

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 produce look more special. In truth, 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 similar competitors like German chain Lidl — have been accused of putting some serious pressure on dairy farmers. Selling cheap milk means getting it at a lower price. In 2012 The Guardian reported that a number of dairy farmers were being forced into bankruptcy because of stores like Aldi. 

Even paying a couple pennies less for that carton of milk arguably helps to put small farmers and larger organizations out of business. 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. This natural thickening agent — often added to low-fat and fat-free dairy products — is possibly linked to an increased risk of cancer, while it's almost certainly connected to several digestive issues (via Prevention).

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 products on its shelves, carrageenan isn't on the list of ingredients left out of their Simply Nature line. While it's not prohibited by any health agency, the CSPI still lists it as one of the additives that should make those with digestive issues cautious.

Getting the right kind of butter can spell 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, it was just one of a number of stores that were raising 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 doesn't include any of the brands you'll find at Aldi. Kerrygold often takes top honors, as the green grass Kerrygold's cows graze on year-round makes a difference. Too bad you can't find it at Aldi.

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% 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. If you find one, you might want to think twice about buying that product.

In 2016, Aldi announced that it 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 only vaguely says it will "respond to customer demand."

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

In a perfect world, we would only eat pasta with homemade sauce. But, hey, this is reality, and the truth is that jars of pre-made sauce exist for our convenience. No aisle of that pasta sauce is complete without a creamy Alfredo, but unfortunately, Aldi gets the recipe of its version all wrong. Aldi's in-house brand Priano may proudly display the Italian flag on its label but this "inspired by Italy" Alfredo sauce tastes far from authentic.

Alfredo sauce dates back to early 20th-century Rome and is known for its creamy, decadent, and cheesy flavor. Aldi's take on this classic pasta topper has been described by customers as bland and oddly sweet. Many of those who have picked up a jar of Piano's Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce noted that it wasn't very cheesy at all and were disappointed by its watery consistency. 

While it's not unusual for a jarred sauce to be a bit of a letdown compared to homemade stuff, the most concerning complaints here came from Aldi shoppers who pointed out that Priano Alfredo Sauce has an unpleasant smell and can even reportedly taste like spoiled dairy. In addition to the Four Cheese and Creamy Alfredo varieties, Priano Alfredo Sauce also comes in a Roasted Garlic flavor, but next time you want to make it a fettuccine Alfredo night, consider following an easy homemade recipe for the sauce instead.

Bacon is easily one of those grocery store staples that has a special place in many people's hearts, stomachs, and refrigerators. This is why it's hard to believe that Aldi hasn't done better in this area. Numerous shoppers who have bought Aldi's Appleton Farms Premium Sliced Bacon have taken to the internet to warn others of its subpar quality. The most common gripe about Appleton Farms Premium Sliced Bacon is that it is sliced way too thin and is extremely fatty.

One Reddit thread described Aldi's bacon as little more than raw pork fat with a disappointing amount of meat. Others were quick to echo the sentiment. Some even accused Appleton Farms of placing the acceptable-looking slices at the front of the clear package to camouflage the pale, shabby sliced remains that lay beneath. When Aldi Reviewer gave Appleton Farms Sliced Bacon a favorable review in 2019, the comments section was flooded with so many counterarguments about this stringy, hard-to-peel, low-on-flavor bacon that the site added an editor's note acknowledging that the negative reviews were valid. 

Aldi does many things well, but it's safe to say that this bacon is currently not one of them. Considering that this popular food can be found in just about every major grocery store, you may want to purchase yours elsewhere.

We love a culinary fusion moment but Aldi's attempt at chicken fried rice simply misses the mark. Aldi sells a whole line of Asian-inspired frozen foods under its Fusia brand. Although the brand name is pretty on the nose, not all of Fusia's products bring out the best in Asian fusion cuisine. The biggest offender is the Chicken Fried Rice, where the biggest problem is the "rice" itself. Even Aldi Reviewer, which has been kind to many lacking Aldi foods, admitted that the Fusia Frozen Chicken Fried Rice needs supplementation from better Fusia products like spring rolls and pot stickers.

Don't let your love of Chinese takeout convince you that Aldi's' Frozen Chicken Fried Rice will compare to the real deal. "The product does not appear to be rice at all, but processed noodles and does not have the same consistency of rice" went one review on Amazon. To make matters even more suspicious, Fusia Frozen Chicken Fried Rice was also the subject of an Aldi store-wide recall due to its packaging that falsely declared it to be dairy-free. At the end of the day, Aldi has a pretty impressive freezer aisle, but Fusia Chicken Fried Rice just isn't one of the store's shining stars.