Aldi Rolls Out ‘Refresh’ Offerings

To kick off the New Year, Aldi says it is giving customers more selections they can feel good about. The company now is offering increased organics and healthier options at checkout and exclusive brand food products free from ingredients customers worry about, the grocer says.

“This time of year, I’m especially focused on looking for healthy options at the grocery store that my whole family can feel good about,” said Elizabeth Ward, registered dietitian, author and Aldi Advisory Council member. “As a busy mother of three, Aldi is my go-to destination to get high-quality ingredients for well-balanced meals, all while saving time and money.”

Checklanes are a notorious source of unhealthy impulse buys, according to Aldi. To cut out that temptation and allow shoppers to end their grocery trips on a healthy note, the company is introducing Healthier Checklanes in select stores this year. Rather than chocolates and candies, these checklanes will be stocked with healthier items like single-serve nuts and trail mixes, dried fruits and an assortment of granola bars. Aldi plans to roll out the program to its nearly 1,500 locations by the end of 2016.

“By introducing Healthier Checklanes, and through a number of other initiatives, we are doing our part to remove temptation at checkout and stocking stores with even more nutritious options,” said Aldi CEO Jason Hart. “At Aldi, we truly care about our customers, and we’re responding with guilt-free checkout zones and increased food options they can feel good about.”

In addition, Aldi says it will make the overall shopping experience simpler throughout the store, especially when it comes to filling the cart with better-for-you options. Aldi exclusive food brands, which comprise more than 90 percent of products sold in stores, are now free of certified synthetic colors, partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) and added MSG.

The company says it also has taken the ingredient removal commitment a step further. While Aldi milk has been free of artificial growth hormones for years, the grocer says it is committed to ensuring that the milk used to make all Aldi cultured products, such as yogurts, sour cream and cottage cheese, have no artificial growth hormones.

Aldi says it is going beyond the store’s perimeter, too, by broadening its product offerings within every aisle, including:

• Expanding its selection of fresh and organic meat and produce, including the Never Any! brand of meat products that contain no added antibiotics, hormones, animal by-products or other additives.
• Expanding the SimplyNature line of products, free of more than 125 artificial ingredients, as well as a gluten-free line of products under the Aldi exclusive brand, liveGfree.
• Highlighting nutritional facts on the front of its exclusive brand food packages for shoppers to easily find key nutritional information.
• Partnering with registered dietitians through its Advisory Council to provide tips, recipes and meal-planning ideas that make healthy eating easy and affordable for families.