Own Label Vs Big Brands - Aldi Review

Aldi’s core philosophy is to offer shoppers brand quality products at everyday, exceptionally low prices. 


Is this statement true? We certainly would agree. We have never done a lot of shopping in our local Aldi but after trying some of the products that we were recently sent I will certainly be shopping there for some of the main things we buy on a weekly basis. Not only does the quality match the market leaders but in some cases it is better than them too. The diagrams below shows an average shop that you can do in Aldi and how much the same shop would cost in other supermarkets. It is quite unbelievable how much the prices differ.

'Big Price Drop' comparison. Daily Mail. 27/09/11*

*Basket included Loose Carrots (1kg), Loose Red Seedless Grapes (1kg), Semi-skimmed Milk (4 pints), Maris Piper Potatoes (2.5kg), Loose Parsnips (1kg), Back Bacon Rashers (300g), British Mature Cheddar (250g), Italian Pepperoni Pizza, Own-label Cheese & Onion Crisps (6 pack), Own-label Penne Pasta (500g), Medium Chicken (1.6kg). Source Daily Mail Survey 27/09/11. The survey used the nearest equivalent products and comparable weights. For more details visit aldi.co.uk

We were sent a range of everyday products from Aldi to try. We were sent:

• Specially Selected Sweet Harvest Peeled Plum Tomatoes - £0.45
• Village Bakery Soft White Toastie - £0.69
• Bramwells Tomato Ketchup - £0.69
• Vive Lemonade  - £0.39
• Red Label Tea Bags - £1.99
• Belmont Milk Chocolate Digestives - £0.55
• Austin's Summer Drink - £4.99
• Corale Baked Beans - £0.29
• Harvest Morn Benefit Cereal - £1.49
• Magnum Premium Original Washing Up Liquid - £0.59
• Del Rivo Orange Juice - £1.29

I'd like to think that were not a fussy lot and actually eat pretty much anything that is put in front of us. As a family of 5 money is often tight in our house and we do buy a lot of supermarket own branded foods as they seem to go further and are generally cheaper than the bigger brands. We don't shop in just one store and we do try to get the best deals for the money that we have available to spend on food. I do confess to being a brand snob when it comes to certain products such as beans, bread and toilet rolls. When I tried Aldi baked beans and the bread loaf .I had my reservations that they would taste nice but I now prefer them to ones that we previously bought. The beans have a nicer flavour and even look more appealing to eat and the bread is much softer and tastier than the one we normally buy, And im not the only one who thought the same. Research carried out by Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) found that "91% of Aldi’s own-label products were just as good as the big brands, with 27% even rated as significantly better than the brands...The research incorporated eleven everyday basket items, including cereal, bread, tea, lemonade, ketchup and baked beans, with one own-label version and one brand version for each. Both products were tested and compared in five key areas: appearance, aroma, flavour, texture and overall liking.


In our house there wasn't one product out of the 11 that we didn't like. I would happily shop at Aldi in the future for these products and possibly buy more of our weekly shopping from the store too. One of the things that makes it so much more appealing is that the items are much cheaper than in other supermarkets and could save the average family £14. Not only that but as the food tastes just as good as the more expensive brands why should we pay more? We give Aldi a fabulous 5/5 rating and suggest everyone should give them a try.