Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Today I stopped by an Aldi and looked around.

Saw some stuff that if the quality is good, is at a better price than other stores.

Anyone have any experience with Aldi's canned goods, pasta, and pasta sauce?

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Thanks for starting this thread; I was wondering the same thing.


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Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

If Aldi is anything like it's division, Trader Joe's, the food will be excellent quality.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

I've shopped there on occasion and had no complaints about the food quality.

I love shopping there because it is rather small and easy to find foods. They usually only carry one brand of each item so you don't have to spend ages checking prices and sales. :D

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

My wife loves the chocolate from Austria they sell there, she lived there as
a child (Austria not Aldi's :smile:)

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Aldi's looks promising to me... at least for some things.

I've just started testing stuff from Aldi's... here's the scoop.

I bought a can of their "Happy Harvest" large Lima "Butter Beans" because the brand names (like Green Giant and DelMonte) were ridiculously high-priced! (I scored Green Giant corn for real cheap... .66 a can... and wanted lima beans to make succotash... COMPLETE PROTEIN).

I think the Aldi lima beans were about .69 a can... more than reasonable, compared to $1.59 a can for Green Giant/DelMonte!

I mixed the can with Green Giant corn, heated it up, added a bit of salt and pepper, then melted butter... excellent!

Result of experiment? Bought a case... and plan to buy a few more cases.

I also tried the Aldi version of spam (after checking the label to make sure the ingredients were the same as Spam with no added synthetic stuff thrown in). Conclusion? Going to supplement my stockpile of Spam with the Aldi version also.

My conclusion: test products one package at a time: if you like, stock up!

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

All my smaller canned prep fruits and veggies are from Aldi.
$200.00 goes a long way on canned goods at Aldi.
Good quality canned fruits and veggies imho.
The soups are a little on the down side from Campels Label, but you get over that soon enough.

Try finding a restaurant supply houses close by if you can. The supply house down the road sells the scratch and dent items for less than half price to the public.
I'm getting scratch and dent 6lbs 9oz. canned goods from chocolate pudding to stewed tomatoes to yams to mandarin oranges to peaches, pairs and apples for $3.00 each.
I picked up ten 2lb 7oz cans of Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix for $3.00 a piece having a sell by date of August 8th 2010.
I back up the truck once a week. A $100.00 goes a looooong way.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Aldi has normally good quality. Normally...
I can say this because once I worked for an Aldi supplier.
The Albrecht brothers are Germany�s richest men...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldi

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Yea Aldis is great.

It is a little different than Krogers or other large chains but a lot of their stuff is good quality.

IMO, most canned items are good. I would pass on the pasta sauce. Pasta is fine. They have pretty good yogurt, bread, pecan twirly breakfast rolls, coffee cake streusel, chocolate, excellent nuts [almonds, walnuts etc].

Often times you can get a good price on produce but they don't have alot to choose from. Most of the chips are good, potato chips, taco chips, cheese puffs etc. Quick oats are ok.

If a person is unemployed and trying to scrape by, they definitely need to shop Aldis.

Regarding pasta sauce, we get it at Big Lots. Usually Prego.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

i pick up a few cases of stuff as preps every once in awhile...quality is always good and the dates always have a few years left. cheapest of the cheap places imo

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

I have been in the Aldi a few times. Usually there is only one register working and a waiting line.

It's OK if it's not crowded. If there are a lot of cars in the parking lot, I won't even bother going in.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

there chicken is real good an priced right 1.79 a can .. got a case an few case of there beef an chicken stock , for .39 cents a can it also good , there vegs are also good we used them in soups at ..47 cents a can . there milk alway cheaper 1,89 a gallon here , kroger 3.29 an they have beef an gravy an it good we used it for soup also 1.89 a can .they have a lot of good stuff , same ham kroger sell for 2.39 a pound they have for 1.49

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

I never go shopping for groceries, my wife does that but I do know
that she likes to shop there and claims that they have very good produce
at a better price than the other stores.
.................this is "hear say" so it wont stand up in court..:bear_cry:

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

i go there all the time. dried beans are WAY cheap at mine. $1.50 or so for a 32 ounce bag.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Good quality. Limited selection. Mostly generic "house brands".

Wonderful place to shop for staples.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Not sure if this is true of all Aldi's, but the one here "rents" their shopping carts for .25 cents. You have to use a quarter to unlock the cart, and you get the quarter back when you return the cart to the corral.

Also, you need to bring your own bags/containers unless you want to buy their paper bags for .10/each.

They used to only take cash, but this site has just recently accepted debit cards now.

Some of the products are smaller (i.e. serving for 3 instead of 4) than standard grocery stores. But for everyday staples, they definitely have the best pricing.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

LOL! The first time I used a shopping cart at Aldi's I was "confused" by the quarter "rental" on the shopping cart.

I figured, what the heck? Their prices are low enough, so ok. The quarter didn't go all the way into the slot. I thought... hmmm... maybe I can get it back... but it wouldn't come out.

As I paid the cashier (didn't buy much that time), I asked the cashier if I could just leave the cart in the store aisle, since I didn't need it. She said: "don't you want your quarter back???"

Turns out, once you return the cart to the "corral" amd chain it back up, the quarter pops back out so you get it back!!!

Guess it's their way of making sure you return the cart, and don't leave it in the parking lot. That way they don't have to hire people to patrol the parking lot and return carts. SOUNDS FAIR TO ME!!!!

P.S. Next time I go to Aldi's. I WILL need the cart... going to stock up on the Butter beans (lima beans) and "generic" spam (which I mentioned earlier tastes as good or the same as regular Spam). Also, going to test a can of their evaporated milk... why?

Aldi's is selling their evaporated milk for .69 a can, versus .89 a can for the shoprite generic brand, and 1.29 for Carnation. If it's as good... I am stocking up! Great for coffee, baking... stuff like that.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Gee, never really gave Aldi's a thought. There is one near the in laws, and I will be there on Sunday. Guess where I'm going to go?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Gonna have some fun adding to the preps! Thanks! I always love checking out a new store!

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Prices beat Sam's Club by weight, take a calculator, same quality as store brand in other major chains, usually. Haven't died yet!

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

7th trump, I'm not sure what you mean by "scratch and dent" but you absolutely do not want to include dented cans in your long term storage. There is a much higher risk of the can's seams or seals being compromised when the can is dented.

If you would like me to elaborate, I'll be happy to do so or you can scour the links here for the info.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

MNFarmer: Just remember these stores are SMALL compared to a typical grocery store. Let us know what you think & if you scored any preps.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

there can meats are good try them is you are at one

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Wish I had gone in years ago! Small but great prices and quality is fine if not better than the full rip off stores. A few favorites, canned goods, chocolate bars and frozen pizza is the best deal in house and doesn't taste like crap.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Good quality but not on par with Trader Joes IMHO. Most ALDI's stuff I have seen tends to be high in fat which could be good in SHTF.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Nope, not even close.

I found a lot of Aldi's food a bit odd. The quality is different. For example, say you buy a can of green beans at Aldi's (their brand) and a can of Del Monte at a regular supermarket. The can at Aldi's will be less expensive, nearly by half, but if you open the cans side by side, you'll see that the Del Monte gbs are larger, more uniform, and possibly a brighter green. Aldi shoppers are able to save money by buying goods that are not up to the cosmetic standards of the name brands (or even the store brands), but are in no way less nutritious or tasty. I remember the "fruit cocktail" was like that, too.

The exception is fresh produce and meats. I found most of the fruit to be inferior. The meat was no less safe, but there were cuts you wouldn't find in most stores, and some of it was labeled as "Commercial" quality instead of "Choice" or "Select". Tougher cuts, like roasts, predominated (and if you used a slow cooker or pressure cooker, it wouldn't make a difference when it was done).

"Commercial" quality is usually sold to institutions like hospitals and school cafeterias. Still perfectly safe, just not as tender or juicy.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

My wife would know more about it than I, but from what I know We stock up on their can goods which are just as good and last as long as the premium brands...

Fresh Fruit and Veggies, taste decent, but for some reason seem to start turning bad a lot sooner...

EX: We picked up an "Bunch of Banannas and a bag of mixed fruit (apples, oranges, pears, etc)... The ones from Aldi, lasted under a week before starting to turn colors and get mushy... The ones from Schnucks, lasted a few weeks before starting...

Frozen stuff seems OK too...

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Do you believe they give the bags as a present :cry1: of course you have to pay.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

It's the only store (in this state) that does. Even farmer's markets don't charge.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Encourages recycling! Ours you just latch onto a box that's about empty, set the stuff off on the next box and off ya go. Either that or take some of the bags from other stores and reuse them.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Stopped by there today, bought about $85 worth of "Economic Stimulus Plan (Protection From)" goods.

Have marked all the cans with "A" to indicate they are from Aldi's; will test and see how it goes.

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Well, I didn't get to Aldi's as planned to check it out on Sunday... more there for those of you in the area! Hubby ended up with emergency surgery (appendix), so it wasn't exactly the weekend we had planned. He is okay, and hopefully I will get there soon!

Re: Aldi brand foods - level of quality?
 

Oh, my goodness.

I so hate surprises like that. Happy to hear that he's doing okay and hope to hear your Aldi's report after next weekend!