Shoppers Are Pissed About This Aldi Policy Change

We’re big Aldi supporters here at Sporked, myself included. And this is coming from someone who, prior to joining the team, had never set foot inside an Aldi before. I’m a little afraid to admit that, but I’m not faking my appreciation for this store, I promise. I distinctly remember going into Aldi to buy all of their frozen appetizers for a taste test and being shocked, shocked, by how cheap the total was. Aldi is synonymous with savings. It’s one of the only grocery stores I can shop at and not feel like I’m trading quality for low costs. And I think that’s why this new policy change is rubbing everyone the wrong way. 

Videos by Sporked

The problem: Shoppers have noticed Aldi’s popular meat mark-down policy quietly disappearing from stores. 

If you don’t know, Aldi discounts meat and other perishable products by up to 50% when they near the sell-by date. This used to be considered a universal company standard, but that’s slowly changing. Now it varies by location. It’s up to the store’s discretion whether or not they adhere to the policy, and more and more shoppers are noticing the change in their go-to store. 

According to chatter online, some stores have pulled the discount entirely. Others have replaced the 50% off sticker with a 30% off sticker. What gives? 

Does this have anything to do with food safety? Aka, are these “clearance” meats really safe to eat? 

We have pretty rigorous meat standards here in the United States. Not to mention, we’re talking about sell-by dates here, which basically means the date by which a store should sell the product for peak quality, not the date it suddenly becomes unsafe to eat. In fact, according to both the FDA, “sell-by,” “best if used by,” and similar labels are generally about quality, not safety (with a few exceptions like infant formula).

I’m a hypochondriac myself, so you won’t find me buying clearance meat no matter what I know to be logically true, but every single professional chef I’ve worked with has sworn by the fact that expiration dates are a suggestion, and they always give me the same little judgemental look when I share my anxieties. It’s oddly comforting. 

My conclusion, and the conclusion most Aldi shoppers seem to be drawing here: This policy change with Aldi likely has nothing to do with food safety. It’s money. They probably earn more by pulling the discounts, even if it means throwing away food. We just hope, like people in the forums seem to suggest, that the meat mark-down isn’t pulled from all stores. Stay synonymous with savings, Aldi! Please!! I don’t keep an old quarter in my car for nothing.