Aldi shoppers are soon going to see a big change in lots of foods from the cult favorite grocery store. The company is phasing out dozens of ingredients from its products, from artificial sweeteners to preservatives. It seems like a win for shoppers who want to eat simpler foods, but some people are skeptical about Aldi’s motives in this move.
Why Aldi Is Expanding Its Banned Ingredient List
Aldi is eliminating 44 ingredients from its private label products — those are the items with an Aldi brand like Specially Selected and Mama Cozzi’s, not brand name items they sometimes carry like Doritos or M&Ms, for instance. Because the products are Aldi-owned, the chain has the ability to dictate exactly what’s going into them.
This isn’t the first time that Aldi has removed artificial ingredients from its products, though. Back in 2015, the company banned 13 certified synthetic colors from its private label products. That’s way before the current politically-motivated push for these changes.
“Based directly on customer feedback, we are proud to take meaningful steps to make it even easier for families to fill their carts with confidence by delivering simpler ingredients while continuing to provide the quality and value they expect,” said Scott Patton, Chief Commercial Officer, in a press release announcing the change.
What Additives Are Being Eliminated?
In total, 57 ingredients are now on the banned list for Aldi private label products. It’s going to take some time to eliminate the 44 that were just announced since the products will have to be reformulated. So yes, that means some of your favorite Aldi foods might taste (or look) a little different, but we’re guessing the company will try to avoid making huge changes.
Because of the time it’ll take to reformulate everything, Aldi is rolling out the products in stages. The company expects to eliminate them completely from all its private label food, vitamin, and supplement products by December 2027.
Some of the newly banned ingredients include bromated flour, lye, talc, and Potassium nitrate. You can see the full list of 57 banned ingredients on Aldi’s website.
Critics Weigh In
While many are celebrating the changes, some Aldi fans on social media are more skeptical.
“I love me some Aldi, and eliminating unnecessary ingredients is great,” said one Redditor in a thread about the changes. “However, how many ingredients on the list aren’t actually used in foods? I saw Olestra on the list, and I’m old enough to know when chip manufacturers used it back in the 2000’s and it gave everyone diarrhea so they stopped using it.”
“That list very conspicuously omits what those ingredients are used for, or why they’re no longer being used,” pointed out one Redditor. “This is a marketing move to cater to the people who freak out about ingredients that sound scary, nothing more. It’s a cash grab, a very subtle form of shrinkflation.”
Others take issue with what was put on the list, or what’s missing. “MSG is on the banned list? Thats disappointing, I thought we had moved on from that outdated nonsense belief.”
Some wonder why high fructose corn syrup isn’t on the list. “Seriously, so many products boast about not having it, why not just ban it storewide?”
“This is the main thing I want them to eliminate,” replied another commenter in reference to high fructose corn syrup. “I’ve picked up so many products only to set then back down because they had hfcs.”
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