Aldi offers low prices on all of the products it sells in its stores. And when we say all, we mean all, from the wine you can find on their shelves to the meat and veggies you can see on the shelves. Everything at Aldi is competitively priced.
With meat, especially beef, being one of the more expensive items that can be on people’s grocery lists, Aldi might seem like a great shopping destination to buy low priced beef from. However, you might be concerned about where Aldi is getting its beef from for it to have such a low price. You also may have heard rumors surrounding Aldi’s beef, such as that it is from China or that it is actually meat from horses.
To answer your questions, we conducted pretty extensive research, and in this article, we will be showing you all of our findings.
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Where Does Aldi Beef Come From In 2023?
There is no reason to be concerned with where Aldi’s beef is coming from. As of 2023, Aldi sources its beef products from local and regional farms. This means that the farms Aldi gets its beef from are relatively close to its store locations.
The majority of Aldi’s beef comes from the United States. Not only is the cattle raised in the U.S but it is also processed and packaged within the country before it reaches the shelves of your local Aldi store.
If you’re still wondering why Aldi sources its beef from local and regional farms, if the beef is ethically sourced, and if the beef is of good quality, continue reading below to find out.
Why Does Aldi Source Its Beef From Local And Regional Farms?
As a company, Aldi oversees all of its own distribution, and therefore, is very strategic and prudent about where it gets its supplies from. The main reason that Aldi sources from local and regional farms is to keep the company’s costs low. Doing this enables them to provide customers with an abundance of savings.
Aldi does not want to use its resources on coordinating supply from a small number of larger locations to its more than 2,000 stores. By sourcing locally, Aldi saves costs on shipping and distribution. Also, with the company not shipping its meat thousands of miles, Aldi is able to keep fuel emissions down, which is great for the environment.
Aldi also is not wasting any money on trying to keep the beef cold on extremely long trips across the country before it reaches their stores. This way, not only do they save money but the beef you buy is fresher.
Where Does Aldi’s Beef That Isn’t From The US Come From?
The Aldi franchise does source some of its beef products from places other than local and regional farms in the United States. There are 5 possible other countries that Aldi’s beef may be imported from. These are Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, and recently, Uruguay.
There had been a rumor circulating that Aldi’s beef was being imported from China, but this is simply not true. None of Aldi’s meat is imported from China.
Australia and New Zealand supply most of the grass-fed beef that Aldi imports to its United States stores. Uruguay is also where Aldi imports a chunk of its 100% grass-fed beef from. You can tell for sure by looking at the beef’s packaging and labels.
Directly on Aldi’s website, the company tells you how you can figure out the country of origin that your product, which is beef in this case, is coming from. This information is located at the bottom of the linked page.
If you are truly concerned, read the beef’s packaging to determine where it is from. If no country is listed, then it is from the United States.
What Types Of Beef Does Aldi Sell?
Aldi sells a variety of types of beef in all of its United States stores. There are many different selections of ground beef, with the usual 80/20, 90/10, 70/30 fat percentages and more. There are also pre-made hamburger patties that you can purchase as well.
Aldi offers a number of Black Angus cuts, such as chuck roasts, eye of round, rib eyes, and strip steaks, to name a few. Black Angus is a notable type of beef that comes from cattle with specific genetics and a hide that is at least 51% black.
Aldi also provides USDA Choice cuts of beef for its customers. USDA Choice grade meat is high quality and has very good marbling. It is only surpassed by prime cuts of meat.
Around the holidays, Aldi’s is known to stock special cuts of beef. These can include standing rib roasts, which are available in the same affordable price range as the rest of Aldi’s products.
If you’re interested in finding out if Aldi meat is Halal, you can read one of our other articles where we explored the topic in greater detail.
Is Aldi’s Beef Good?
Truth be told, Aldi’s beef does receive mixed reviews when it comes down to it. With that being said, Aldi only provides USDA-inspected meat, which provides some quality assurance to its customers. It also stocks many Black Angus Beef products, which have wonderful marbling and are known for being tender.
Customers have mentioned that Aldi frequently stocks beef that looks fresh and tastes delicious. Some even compare it to what you may find when shopping at a more expensive grocery store. Still, it can be hit or miss overall.
The general consensus is that the Aldi meat quality is very good, since it comes from farms that are close by.
Why Is Aldi’s Beef Cheaper?
The reason for Aldi’s beef prices is quite simple. Aldi’s beef is cheaper than what you can find at other stores, because the company sources from local and regional farms that are close to its locations.
This means the need to spend less on sourcing their beef products and in turn, charge less for the beef they sell in stores. The prices will obviously fluctuate depending on the market but will always stay low.
Aldi’s does not always have the absolute lowest beef prices around. Sometimes, the lowest prices can be found at your locally owned grocery store or local butcher, who provide sales on beef products when they are close to expiring. Those discounts can be better than Aldi’s prices, so do your research first.
Does Aldi Butcher Its Own Beef?
One of the ways that Aldi keeps the prices of its beef down is through not having its own in-store butchers. Butchers are trained specifically to cut, dress, sort, and display all types of meat.
Many grocery stores, especially the larger ones, employ butchers to cut meat in their stores. However, Aldi is known for having a small staff size, which does not include a butcher. It simply would not fit within their business model.
This does allow you to pay less for meat when shopping at Aldi. However, you will not be able to request specific cuts of meat. You can only purchase what is already on the shelves.
Is Aldi’s Beef Ethically Sourced?
As a company, Aldi is 100% committed to ethically sourcing all of its products, including its beef. As Aldi mentions on their website under Animal Welfare, “We’re committed to the well-being of animals in our supply chain and believe that proper animal care practices are based on science and ethical obligations and values”.
Aldi follows the Beef Quality Assurance Program (BQA) which makes sure the beef industry is properly raising, handling, and butchering its cattle. Not only this, but Aldi also follows the North American Meat Institute Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines and Audit Guide, which also makes sure that the cattle providing the beef are raised and processed ethically.
On top of all of these things, Aldi also manages an Alertline. This can be used by suppliers who wish to report misconduct that they suspect is happening or have witnessed happening, at any point along the supply chain. This can be found in Aldi’s Code of Conduct, in section 2.2.
So, generally speaking, Aldi is an ethical company.
Is There Horse Meat In Aldi’s Beef?
Aldi’s beef does not contain any horse meat, which is an idea that comes from a widely circulated rumor. The rumor stems from a scandal that happened back in 2013, where it was discovered that specific frozen meal products being sold at Aldi and other grocery stores did contain horse meat.
This was the fault of the Aldi meat supplier, who was mixing horse meat into their beef. Some of the meals contained as little as 30% horse meat, while other meals were found to contain 100% horse meat. While this is mildly disturbing, the scandal did not actually affect any of Aldi’s stores in the United States.
The product was immediately pulled from the shelves of the Aldi stores it was being sold at. The company also provided a displeased statement in which it condemned the suppliers involved.
So, yes, there was a horse meat incident that involved Aldi back in 2013. This did not affect any United States locations, has since been fixed, and has not occurred again. You can rest assured that there is no horse meat in Aldi’s beef.
Conclusion – Where Does Aldi Get Their Meat?
Around 90% of the beef sold at Aldi is sourced domestically from regional and local farms. If your beef is imported, it will be from a select 5 countries, listed above. This does not include China.
Sourcing from local and regional farms is not only good for local farmers, but it also helps to reduce costs and fuel emissions for Aldi as a company. This is better for the environment and your wallet.
