Aldi more expensive and quality declining?

Towser

Even if they are getting more expensive what is the alternative? I can't get everything from the market.

Aren't they still the cheapest of the cheap? If not do tell 'cos I could do with reducing my bill more.

I definitely think ASDA is more expensive if not the same price for most things. Their quality is better in Aldi. For my basket anyway.

It sounds as if it does depend on the management of the store as to freshness.

Cornucopia

ZiQi wrote: »

Bread, chicken, cooked meats, and many other items, loads have gone up here and there.

Ah, okay - out of that, I only buy Ham which is £1.79 for the Wafer-thin/400g (has been for months) and £1.79 for the round/320g (down from £1.89).

Towser wrote: »

Even if they are getting more expensive...

I don't think they are - I struggle to think of one item I regularly buy (other than fresh/seasonal products) that has gone up in the past year or so.

I keep stocking up on Aldi Oatcakes (I don't eat bread), thinking they must be due for an increase having been 69p for 2 years, but they remain the same price. In fact, the packaging has changed more recently than the price. (yes- they are still the same size).

ZiQi

The problem now is I am having to buy less from Aldi because of this change in supplier which has resulted in change of recipe too I'm having to buy some items elsewhere.

I've never been a fan of ready meals etc and always cook from scratch, nothing to do with this horse problem (I do eat horse and enjoy it) but all the crap they put in.

I still do buy some fruit and veg when on offer, as I can get fruit and veg cheaper from Birmingham Market (eg fair trade bananas often 45p/kg), get Red potatoes a lot cheaper at the market and most the other items.

I mostly buy meat, game, poultry and fish from the markets too or the butchers etc as again that is cheaper there.

Do buy other food items too from the markets, but also use Home Bargains.

However Aldi was always my main shop.

ZiQi

Cornucopia wrote: »

Ah, okay - out of that, I only buy Ham which is £1.79 for the Wafer-thin/400g (has been for months) and £1.79 for the round/320g (down from £1.89).

I see.

I have bought some of that, however their smaller pack (and smaller slices), used to work out cheaper / g and have more pork in it

Though I prefer the German Baked ham they do, that is lovely.

ZiQi

Cornucopia wrote: »

I keep stocking up on Aldi Oatcakes (I don't eat bread), thinking they must be due for an increase having been 69p for 2 years, but they remain the same price. In fact, the packaging has changed more recently than the price.

The packaging may have changed due to Aldi changing the suppliers for a lot of their items, sourcing cheaper companies / cheaper recipes.

Fire_Fox

ZiQi wrote: »

Annoyed at the price rise, but even more annoyed that since they've been changing the suppliers, many of the items have changed, the recipe have change with the supplier change and many of the items are now nasty and inedible, noticed them getting a lot of complaints about it.

Aldi items used to be comparable to brands, now a lot of them are worse than other supermarket basic range, not even close to the other supermarkets next range up.

Aldi have made a big mistake here reducing the quality of the items, that was the reason I used to shop at Aldi, quality at a good price. Now it's poor quality at no better price.

I think it depends what you buy, I buy a lot of items that have one or two ingredients - fruit and veg, nuts and seeds, plain raw meat and fish, beans and lentils - so I am quite happy to try the Value/ Smartprice/ Lidl/ Aldi/ market version and very few are inedible.

If you are buying a lot of processed products with ingredients lists as long as your arm then there is a lot of room for higher and lower quality and changes of recipe. But since many of these have added fats and sugars they should be maximum 10% of our daily calories (healthy eating guidelines), so not a large percentage of our grocery shopping.

If the horsemeat drama has taught us anything it could be that you know what is in your food if you make it from scratch yourself. It's difficult to fool a customer who is buying jumbo porridge oats or a whole raw chicken, but easy to fool one buying frozen lasagne or breakfast cereal from processed flour. Even if it claims to be made from pure beef or wholegrain wheat, is it?

My father got caught out buying an Aldi satay sauce that was rubbish - mostly water, sugar and starch - but it's so easy to make that from scratch which is often what he does with sauces.

ZiQi

Fire_Fox wrote: »

I think it depends what you buy, I buy a lot of items that have one or two ingredients - fruit and veg, nuts and seeds, plain raw meat and fish, beans and lentils - so I am quite happy to try the Value/ Smartprice/ Lidl/ Aldi/ market version and very few are inedible.

If you are buying a lot of processed products with ingredients lists as long as your arm then there is a lot of room for higher and lower quality and changes of recipe. But since many of these have added fats and sugars they should be maximum 10% of our daily calories (healthy eating guidelines), so not a large percentage of our grocery shopping.

If the horsemeat drama has taught us anything it could be that you know what is in your food if you make it from scratch yourself. It's difficult to fool a customer who is buying jumbo porridge oats or a whole raw chicken, but easy to fool one buying frozen lasagne or breakfast cereal from processed flour.

It's rare I buy processed foods, as I said further up (or maybe in the other thread) I've always cooked from scratch.

It's items like butter, norpak spread, the greek cheese, squash, fizzy drinks (as I do like them now and then) and yes, the toffees. So it's not just what one would think of as junk, as don't often buy junk, as all meals are cooked from scratch

Fire_Fox

ZiQi wrote: »

It's rare I buy processed foods, as I said further up (or maybe in the other thread) I've always cooked from scratch.

It's items like butter, norpak spread, the greek cheese, squash, fizzy drinks (as I do like them now and then) and yes, the toffees. So it's not just what one would think of as junk, as don't often buy junk, as all meals are cooked from scratch

But most of those are processed foods and most would fall into the maximum 10% daily calories category because they contain added fat or added sugar - the only one that would not is the cheese. All the others I would discourage my nutrition clients from consuming more than occasionally (although I confess to having chemical laden sugar free squash myself, loathe water! ).

Much dairy doesn't even come right from the cow there are quite a few stages between milking and butter or cheese, most flavoured yoghurts are full of sugar and other dubious ingredients. So 'processed' and 'junk' are not interchangeable terms although there is overlap. Most people think of wholegrain breakfast cereals, bread and pasta as being healthy and natural but in fact they are heavily processed. Who do you know that eats wheat berries? I don't know anyone.

Not saying people should not eat them ever, but eat far more stuff that looks almost exactly the same as when it came off the plant or animal with no 'recipe' or 'ingredients'. We can't have the wool pulled over our eyes so easily then.

ZiQi

Fire_Fox wrote: »

But most of those are processed foods and most would fall into the maximum 10% daily calories category because they contain added fat or added sugar - the only one that would not is the cheese. All the others I would discourage my nutrition clients from consuming more than occasionally (although I confess to having chemical laden sugar free squash myself, loathe water! ).

Much dairy doesn't even come right from the cow there are quite a few stages between milking and butter or cheese, most flavoured yoghurts are full of sugar and other dubious ingredients. So 'processed' and 'junk' are not interchangeable terms although there is overlap. Most people think of wholegrain breakfast cereals, bread and pasta as being healthy and natural but in fact they are heavily processed. Who do you know that eats wheat berries? I don't know anyone.

Not saying people should not eat them ever, but eat far more stuff that looks almost exactly the same as when it came off the plant or animal with no 'recipe' or 'ingredients'. We can't have the wool pulled over our eyes so easily then.

That what I was saying, I rarely buy processed food, but listed those few processed items I do, everything else I buy is just the usual fruit, veg, meat, tinned tomatoes etc.

As I said other than those I listed, it's rare for me to buy processed foods. I don't even buy these jar cooking sauces, I cook properly.

Stompa

ZiQi wrote: »

....but even more annoyed that since they've been changing the suppliers, many of the items have changed, the recipe have change with the supplier change and many of the items are now nasty and inedible, noticed them getting a lot of complaints about it.

I've only come across a few items where that has happened. Chocolate digestive biscuits and custard creams are now inedible, along with Tomato ketchup (although that one changed a very long while ago).