Big change at Aldi Süd: what the discounter is planning now

Aldi Süd wants to make certain products healthier and has reduced the salt and sugar content - it starts with pizza and muesli.

Mühlheim (Ruhr) - Loyal customers of Aldi Süd will have to adapt to changes in several products of the own brands, which have recently become very popular.

The goal: The range should be healthier overall, especially for children.

The discounter therefore wants to gradually adapt several items from its own brand to the nutritional recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), as the company based in Mülheim an der Ruhr announced.

The discounter primarily targeted products with a lot of sugar and salt.

Aldi has already changed the recipes for pizzas and mueslis.

Aldi Süd is changing the recipes of many products step by step

Muesli and breakfast cereals are extremely popular in the morning, especially with children.

Because the preparation is very simple and also quick.

On top of that, many consumers think that a bowl of muesli in the morning is automatically good for them.

After all, muesli is healthy, right?

However, many people have no idea that many ready-to-eat muesli mixes contain high amounts of added sugar.

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Aldi Süd would like to stand for more health in the future and is therefore revising the range.

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© Michael Gstettenbauer/IMAGO

For the health of its customers, Aldi Süd has therefore reduced the sugar content in its breakfast muesli by 20 percent.

Discounter rival Lidl had shown the way and also reduced the sweetness in its muesli.

Aldi says it wants to make other items from six product groups healthier by 2025 and reduce the amount of sugar and salt.

Reduced salt and sugar content in Aldi products - it starts with muesli and pizza

Even the frozen pizza, which is indispensable in many households, is no longer the old one: it is already being sold with a new recipe.

Ready-made pizzas are often heavily seasoned and contain large amounts of salt.

Like other highly processed ready meals, they pose a health risk, especially with regard to diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure.

This in turn can lead to cardiovascular diseases such as strokes.

Especially when things have to be done quickly, many people appreciate the quick reach into the freezer, despite the risk.

Making your own pizza is much healthier, but it also takes a lot longer.

Aldi Süd has reduced the salt content in the ready-made pizzas by 15 percent so that the quick treat is at least a little healthier.

Aldi wants to make sweets packaging less appealing to children

One group whose health Aldi Süd would like to protect more specifically in the future are children.

Overweight and obesity are becoming a growing problem among children and young people.

The reason: an incorrect and one-sided diet with too high a calorie intake.

almost 10 percent of young people between the ages of three and 17 in Germany are

overweight and a further 5.9 percent are even obese – and the trend is rising.

Aldi Süd therefore no longer wants to design the packaging of products with unhealthy ingredients such as sugar and salt in such a way that they are appealing to children.

Sweets in particular, which are often found in the checkout area of ​​supermarkets, are often in particularly colorful cases or even contain toys.

Quarrels with the little ones are often inevitable, but mums and dads often give in in the end and buy the heavily sugared sweets.

According to their own statements, Aldi Süd now wants to put a stop to this and make the packaging more neutral.

Very similar plans were recently heard from the Greens in Berlin.

Aldi Süd is planning a larger plant-based range and labeling with the Nutri-Score

Aldi Süd also wants to change in other areas: The company plans to expand its range of plant-based foods.

According to a press release, by the end of 2024, 1,000 plant-based products in the standard, seasonal and special offer ranges will be sold throughout the year.

Another goal of Aldi Süd is to label all own-brand items with the Nutri-Score by summer 2024 in order to offer customers better orientation.

(Caroline Gehrmann)

List of rubrics: © Michael Gstettenbauer/IMAGO