The Aldi Project: Reviewing Aldi Australia Meats
Aldi’s meats fall somewhere between a good butcher and the ridiculous prices you’ll pay at major supermarkets. Whilst not as cheap as a good butcher the convenience and availability is often a slight advantage.
Aldi meats are definately an option if you’ve missed the weekend butcher run or just simply ran out of time.
Brannan’s Extra Lean Beef Mince
I usually buy the 3 star mince or cheapest. I know it has more fat in it but I find the fat means I don’t really need to use oil and I can drain off excess. Aldi were sold out of regular mince so I tried out their extra lean mince.
While cooking it there was little to excess fat released into the pan. Taste wise it was as good as any mince I’d had but texture wise it was quite ‘stringy’. I’m used to mince crumbling so it felt weird having the mince stay as string despite constant stirring in the pan. I don’t usually buy premium mince so I’m not sure if it’s a characteristic of no fat mince or just the Aldi version.
At $11 a kg it was well above the $6-$7 a kg you pay for mince at the local butcher or at the markets so I won’t be buying again.
Manufactured: Australia
Bread
Cereal
Drinks
Frozen Foods
Meats
Sauces, Dips & Spreads
Snacks
May 7th, 2010 at 8:04 pm Peter Blake(Quote)
We have been purchasing some of the aldi meats when we miss the butcher. We have found the quality of most meat items good but the sliced chicken has several times has dangerous bone slivers embedded.
This is a great concern because we mostly use the chicken for our baby. I have tried to find brannans butchers on the web to advise them of the problem but it appears to be a fake name. Although I am sure Aldi are happy to replace the item the point is we want to save someone from a potentially deadly intestinal perforation and there is no way of contacting the manufacturer.
May 7th, 2010 at 10:47 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Ooer that’s no good. Sure there’s no contact details on the label of the meat? Remember to check underneath the label too, sometimes there’s stuff printed there. I thought it was compulsory to have company contact information on a product but I might be wrong.
Alternatively if there’s nothing you could always enquire instore too, or contact Aldi directly through their website.
May 12th, 2010 at 12:10 pm George Hannaford(Quote)
On the 8th.May I shopped at Helenvale Aldi to the tune of $88.63. Amongst the goods purchased were a marinated chook (not yet cooked) a leg of lamb (which is awfully tough) and a pack of 3 t-bone steaks which are tough too!
Having been a producer in my day of each of these animals, I’m familiar with what is quality and what is not! To say the least, I’m very disappointed about this because, on previous occasions I’ve been very satisfied with each of the above products when they have been purchased at the same Aldi store.
I would be interested to hear back from someone what redress a customer has in the circumstances outlined above. I, too, tried to contact the butchery concerned to no avail.
In my opinion, SOMEONE HAS TO LIFT THEIR GAME!
Yours faithfully, George Hannaford
May 12th, 2010 at 2:41 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Hmm sounds like there might be a problem at the Brannan’s meat plant or with their supply.
If there’s absolutely no contact details on the Brannan’s packaging I’d be giving Aldi a call directly and starting from there. You can contact them by phone or mail (doesn’t seem to be an online enquiry form) off their contact us page.
Good luck!
May 14th, 2010 at 10:03 am George Hannaford(Quote)
A follow-up comment from George Hannaford!
I made contact with Aldi from the ozsoapbox comment and received courteous attention to my concerns about Brennan’s meat quality which Aldi stock.
I took what remained of the cooked and uncooked meat with me to the Aldi store from which it had been purchased and saw the Store Manager who gave me a form to complete to formalise my complaint.
After the completion of the form, the Manager generously refunded me the amount which I had previously paid. It is to be hoped that this particular experience of mine is an isolated case of customer dissatisfaction.
Yours faithfully, George Hannaford
May 14th, 2010 at 2:05 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Thanks for the update mate! Glad to hear it all worked out for you.
And good on Aldi for providing some good old fashioned customer service.
July 15th, 2010 at 12:52 pm Charlotte(Quote)
BUT WHO ARE BRANNANS????
I work for a stock and station agent and nobody here has ever heard of the company!!
Is is an interstate butchery/abbators?
We are in Vic and Brannans are unknown to anyone (meat buyers,livestock agents etc) I ask.
July 16th, 2010 at 4:16 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
I can’t check but surely it’s just a matter of calling up Aldi and asking them about Brannans, or are they secretive about the company over the phone too?
September 22nd, 2010 at 5:49 pm margi(Quote)
I bought some spring lamb (well it is september!)- loin chops from Aldi and it was like leather, I literally cannot get my teeth through it and fear damage.
I wanted to ring Brannans and have had the same experience, I don’t think they exist. I would not buy meat from aldi’s again. Bloody awful.
September 24th, 2010 at 9:18 pm Rump(Quote)
Purchased rump steak this afternoon from Aldi in Wagga. I picked the pack based on 3 pieces of approximate same size. Not very thick for rump but what really surprised me was that one piece was later found cut very thi and folded over to make it look like the others.
Again this had Brannan’s Butchery on the label. It had an Australian made sticker on it. Now that sticker is only given to certain businesses. Aldi is one of them. Dodgy in my view.
October 7th, 2010 at 6:50 pm gareth(Quote)
as with all of aldis products, they are sourced from various suppliers and branded with aldi trademarks. brannans is just a private label brand name. all of aldis meat and poultry is australian and quality is guaranteed. any quality concerns should be passed on to aldi, as they do care. if they dont know about it, they cant fix it.
Aldi invested $10,000,000 on opening a product research/development, testing and quality assurance centre last year, so they are not just putting any old crap on the shelves.
October 20th, 2010 at 12:59 am Stock(Quote)
Brannans doesnt exist,its not a real company,just some name ALDI uses. Same with the Milk, farmdale, manufactured by Dairy Farmers,salami/ham by Primo,or Damora(Crackers) by kraft…
I work there,so i know what im talking about
October 20th, 2010 at 4:19 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Interesting to know and certainly fills in a few gaps regarding the lack of contact info for these individual company names.
Any chance we could get a more comprehensive list of who makes what for Aldi? Feel free to email it to me if you don’t want to publish it yourself. Sounds like it’d make for some interesting reading!
October 20th, 2010 at 1:40 pm mark(Quote)
Im pretty sure it comes from Bindaree Beef, processed in Inverell.
I know about 5 years ago, after purchasing the old Orange abbitoir they were using the plants boning room to break and pack the trays that go to the NSW Aldi stores.
Im not sure if is still the case.
Mark
November 5th, 2010 at 10:58 am rod(Quote)
Brannans is a registered trademark of Aldi so what’s the problem?
If the meat is not up to scratch then buy elsewhere. Do we really know where any supermarket meat comes from or for that matter where the meat in a Big Mac comes from?
If you want to see how much rotten meat we eat then visit the four’n'twenty factory, it’s pure filth.
November 5th, 2010 at 1:55 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
I think the problem is that in the eyes of the consumer Brannans is presented as a stand alone legit company. In actuality it’s nothing more then a trading name for a subsidary of Aldi but unless you do some research that’s not abundantly clear (despite the fact it might be printed in size 2 font somewhere onthe packaging).
Well using the Big Mac as an example, the McDonalds Australia website tells me they source their beef from a ‘Keystone Foods’ who provide a whole lot of information on their company here.
Details on Brannans on the other hand are scarce.
November 14th, 2010 at 10:42 am Paul(Quote)
Take a look at the film ‘Food Inc’ just to see how the beef, pork and chicken that we eat is processes; it will make your stomach turn.
e.g. Keysone states ‘All our raw meat procurement has E.coli 0157:H7 clearance’ on their website. They do this by washing the beef in ammonia to kill off the E.coli bacteria that is present in the beef due to the way the beef is grown. McDonalds were forced to do this when in the States several outbreaks of E.coli poisoning occurred that killed hundreds of people.
The cows aren’t grass fed, they’re fed on corn which fattens them up quicker; this is where the E.coli develops because cows intestinal processes aren’t designed for corn. To combat the E.coli, the cows are fed antibiotics, to which they become resistant. They stand in their own manure for their entire life. The muck and the manure end up in the abbatoirs and in the food we eat.
Do we have an insight into these processes? In the USA everything is highly protected and Food Administration bodies turn a blind eye – because big business is behind it. Are the standards in Australia the same?
November 15th, 2010 at 1:59 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
We’re pretty big on animal welfare here in Australia so I’d imagine we’re not ‘cage farming’ cows. Still, not working in the industry I can’t say with any certainty what’s going on.
I’d like to think we’re better then that though.
November 28th, 2010 at 9:08 am Terry Wright(Quote)
If you read Michael Pollan’s book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” you’ll never eat grain/corn-fed beef again. I won’t!
January 14th, 2011 at 9:23 am paul wilson(Quote)
” cage farming cows ” are feedlots. There are plenty in Australia, industrial beef production. Grass fed is the way to go, ask your local butcher if they havent been run out of town by the supermarkets.
I understand woolworths is all feedlot ” cage farmed ” beef.
February 20th, 2011 at 1:40 pm jim(Quote)
We had bought “Brannan’s Butchery Extra lean beef mince” from Audi. When I open the plastic to get the mince to cook I found one spot of the mince is white only on the top. I wonder what it is.
Can any body tell me and why? I took some photo if any body want to see lets me know.
February 20th, 2011 at 9:28 pm Mark(Quote)
From my experience as a butcher, the white spot on your mince is more than likely from water.
February 21st, 2011 at 8:38 am ausGeoff(Quote)
Personally, after less than favourable experiences quality-wise, I’d never again buy any fresh produce from ALDI. This includes meat, poultry, seafoods, fruit and vegetables.
If, like me, you return to the store of purchase to obtain a refund on defective foodstuffs, ALDI will NOT refund you the purchase amount, or reimburse you with an exchange product, unless you return the product itself. An ALDI receipt (proof of purchase) will not be accepted — even by the store manager.
Obviously — in the case of rotten produce or putrid meat which ends up in your rubbish bin — this is unacceptable, and possibly contravenes the Trade Practices Act.
As other people have noted here, all ALDI’s in-house brands are virtually untraceable to their source of origin, other than being labelled ‘product of Australia’.
I suspect this is because ALDI uses second-grade produce from growers and farmers who can not satisfy Coles’ or Woolies’ stringent “cosmetic/colour/shape/size” requirements.
ALDI meat is often cheaper than Coles and Woolies, but its’ quality is crap. I’d rather pay an extra 3 bucks a kilo and get something I can eat, rather than resoling my shoes with.
And as inferred by Mark (above) I’m sure that ALDI overpumps their meat and poultry with water well beyond the allowable limits. Problem is of course that without being able to identify the principal source of these products (which is a secret known only to ALDI) it’s almost impossible to follow up.
March 2nd, 2011 at 7:35 pm Steve(Quote)
ausGeoff – ” ALDI will NOT refund you the purchase amount, or reimburse you with an exchange product, unless you return the product itself.”
And neither will anybody else.
ausGeoff – “Obviously — in the case of rotten produce or putrid meat which ends up in your rubbish bin — this is unacceptable, and possibly contravenes the Trade Practices Act”
Are you saying that you selected rotten produce and putrid meat and didn’t notice until you opened them ? I smell a Woolies worker
March 2nd, 2011 at 5:55 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Hey there Steve…
IGA will Steve — I’ve done exactly that several times.
Unfortunately, with pre-wrapped and/or packaged fresh produce, It’s often difficult to examine “hidden” parts of the contents until you open ‘em up at home — maybe a couple of days later. And please don’t patronise me by suggesting that I “selected” stuff that was already off.
And considering your over-defensive attitude regarding ALDI foodstuffs quality, I can only assume that you work for ALDI Steve? Obviously I’m guessing you’ll deny this of course, but then you would. It would be nice if you let me know which of their stores you work at though — so I can tell my friends to avoid it LOL.
March 28th, 2011 at 10:30 am Gareth(Quote)
Ausgeoff there will always be haters I guess… and I don’t doubt that you have had negative experiences with Aldi, most people unfortunately have, myself included and yes I do work for Aldi. I put that down to shit management in a particular store (and that happens in all business) and not some underhanded masterplan by Aldi to swindle Australians into buying second grade product.
Seriously Aldi has a network of over 7000 stores Internationally, the owners are richer than god and have been doing this for over fifty years!!
This kind of success doesn’t come about if you’re not doing the right thing by your customer.
My store sits with a woolies directly across the road and a Coles next door and a piss poor IGA at the end of the road.I turn over more produce than any of them in dollars and volume on any given day and that doesn’t happen if we are selling crap!
in many cases we buy equivalent or superior grade produce to our competitors and yes we do buy outside of Coles and woolies specs sometimes (color/size/shape) but that those factors alone don’t dictate the actual quality of the product… It just enables us to offer a sharper price
March 28th, 2011 at 6:30 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Thanks for your response Gareth. I guess you could be right about poor management in individual stores; it can happen with any large chain. It’s not an excuse that satisfies me though.
In this case it was the ALDI store as per:
493 Frankston-Dandenong Road
Carrum Downs VIC 3201
The store manager’s name was Luke.
As a manager, Luke’s customer service skills were virtually non-existent, and from the viewpoint of the POS staff involved, his (non) performance was simply cringe-worthy. He ended up losing his temper, and stormed off to his office in a huff, whilst shouting over his shoulder at the poor POS person to “Give him his money back!”
I first worked in a customer service role — as a section coordinator — with one of the first Officeworks stores in Melbourne in 1995, so I do have a fairly intimate understanding of how customer relationships should be nurtured — for the long-term gain. Obviously ALDI haven’t yet understood the old retail adage: A satisfied customer tells 3 other people; a dissatisfied customer tells TEN other people.
Anyway… put simply, because of that unpleasant — and unwarranted — experience at ALDI’s Carrum Downs store, I’ve never again set foot in an ALDI store. This despite the fact that I regularly drive by your Moorabbin store on the way to visit my elderly father every week. There’s easy access, and tonnes of parking, but I simply won’t shop there on principle.
I’m wondering how many other potential customers ALDI has lost (and is losing) because of inferior and inflexible POS procedures, and rude, patronising, inexperienced managers who’re apparently operating on L-plates?
Incidentally, if a customer phones ALDI’s “generic” number (03) 8369 3000 they can expect absolutely zero resolution to their problem. ALDI also refuses to divulge an individual store manager’s direct telephone number. Is this because head office already knows their store managers are incapable of dealing satisfactorily with customer complaints?
Additionally, I can’t agree with this over-simplification Gareth…
There’s been plenty of suspect millionaire businessman in Australia who’ve NOT been doing the right thing by their customers…
Christopher Skase, Rodney Adler, Rene Rivkin, Eddy Groves, Bill Farrow, Alan Bond, Richard Pratt, John Kinghorn et al.
There’s also a litany of failed major retail businesses in Australia that’ve collapsed largely because of localised mismanagement and a failure to read their customer demographic realistically and proactively…
Krispy Kreme, Billy Guyatts, Daimaru, Angus & Robertson. MegaMart, Brashs, Clive Peeters, Foys, Waltons,
Georges, H. G. Palmer, McEwans, Brashes, Farmers, Grace Bros, Starbucks et al.
Could ALDI go the same way?
May 5th, 2011 at 10:19 am shannon(Quote)
we bought brannons beef sirloin roasts and was the best thing I have ever tasted, even my children ate it and they hate beef roasts from past tough ones.
I have never had a problem with their t-bones, their chickens or their lamb roasts…I am sorry sometimes it is how you cook it, I have bought high priced items from other butchers and woolies and coles, and has been revolting. Their mince is fantastic too.
May 5th, 2011 at 10:27 am shannon(Quote)
oh and before anyone says, shannon must work there…never worked there, always shopped there, never had any problems with customer service or quality of food..Mudgeeraba on the gold coast is the best in my opinion…
I think people pick apart Aldi because they crap on woolies and coles sometimes..The only thing I have noticed is that from when we first started shopping there we could fill two trollies for under $200, now one trolley is over $250…
May 5th, 2011 at 9:47 pm Dave(Quote)
I am quite an Aldi supporter, but my enthusiasm does not run to their meat. The problem with their “source all over the place and rebrand” approach is lack of consistency. I have had three occasions to complain about meat:
(1) woolworths. Tough & dry. Online complaint. Manager called back 15 min later. THEY DROVE a replacement around to my place + a voucher !
(2) Aldi. Bring it back and we will replace (but it was REALLY off)
(3) Coles. A gobful of attitude, “how do we know you did not leave it in your car?” etc etc. Complaint to Safe Food (regulator), then to Minister’s office just to make sure bureaucrats did a good job. Result – following week entire meat fridge replaced.
May 5th, 2011 at 11:47 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
I’d certainly agree with this comment Dave…
Apparently in an effort to further increase their German parent’s profit margins, ALDI will source all of their fresh [sic] produce from anywhere and everywhere, and with absolutely no guarantee of appropriate quality assurance from their suppliers.
The other issue as I see it is that ALDI will absolutely refuse to divulge the names of their suppliers, or even the region that the produce was grown or farmed in. Why the secrecy?
Recently Biotech Laboratories — a NATA accredited commercial and public microbiological testing facility — tested beef sausages from several commercial outlets for their lean meat and fat content.
Less than 50% lean meat is considered unacceptable.
Meat Warehouse topped the list at 80%.
IGA had 68%.
Coles had 60%.
Four samples failed and according to the investigation, were in breach of the Australian Food Standards.
One of them was Woolworths with only 49% lean meat.
ALDI also failed dismally with a mere 39% lean meat.
And bear in mind that this test was for “lean” meat content only, and excluded fillers and other animal products.
Make of this what you will.
May 6th, 2011 at 11:44 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
@Dave
Dunno if that’s standard practice from Woolworths or not, but either way that’s some killer customer service on their part – good on them!
June 10th, 2011 at 6:27 pm Michelle(Quote)
I have just cooked Brannans Butchery Lamb sausages from ALDI for me and my young son. After consuming some I noticed bits of cream coloured rubber chunks in the sausages that to me on inspection look like a chopped up latex glove. There are no numbers on the packaging to contact the company and the store numbers are not available. I am very concerned and am in need of a contact number.
June 10th, 2011 at 9:14 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Not good news at all Michelle, but unfortunately indicative of a lot of ALDI’s “fresh” produce…
For some unknown reason, ALDI are very secretive about divulging any of their store’s phone numbers. I’m guessing this is to avoid too many customers speaking directly with individual store management — who may inadvertently tell their customers the truth about their products.
When you contact ALDI’s head office(?) number, your question and/or complaint is simply answered with a scripted response by some indifferent lackey who toes the company line set out in Germany (where the profits go).
ALDI also refuses straight out to tell you who supplies their “fresh” produce, which reinforces my belief that a lot of their fruit and veg are imported from overseas (like Coles and Woolies).
I’ll wish you luck with this, but I wouldn’t be holding my breath.
June 10th, 2011 at 11:30 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
@Michelle
Unfortunately your only recourse is the number provided to head office.
Any chance of a picture? Latex glove in the ol’ sausage sounds gross!
June 11th, 2011 at 7:41 am Michelle(Quote)
I ended up reporting the situation to the NSW Food Authority out of hours duty manager who was fantastic. The matter will be investigated and I have kept all of the gross findings and sausages.
June 11th, 2011 at 1:07 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Thanks for the update Michelle, let us know how it goes!
June 11th, 2011 at 6:51 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
I’m pleased to hear you’re following this up Michelle. In hindsight, that’s what I should’ve done here in Melbourne after my ALDI “experience”.
I guess at the time, I was expecting a bit more of a positive resolution from the manager at the local ALDI store, but apparently their (hidden) business ethic is to treat the customer like crap if they’re got a complaint, and simply focus on their profit margins as the ultimate corporate driver.
ALDI was also nailed for selling garden furniture made from illegally harvested Indonesian Meranti rain forest timber.
The other issue of course is that although I also disagree with the Coles-Woolies duopoly, at least they’re Australian-owned companies, and who account for 72 per cent of our grocery trade (according to Gary Morgan) plus their profits are fed back into Aussie companies rather than heading off-shore to Germany.
I’m actually surprised that ALDI’s customers don’t seem to be in the least concerned about sending corporate retail profits overseas — unless it’s to America, in which case the chattering class screams blue murder.
Although I’m guessing that with only around 10 per cent of the grocery market share, Coles and Woolworths won’t be seeing ALDI as a real competitor in the grocery game.
June 11th, 2011 at 7:44 pm Michelle(Quote)
I concur with your comments Geoff. The Manager from the NSW Food Authority advised me that if I complain to ALDI, ALDI will want the product back and that will mean that there will be little to no chance of an investigation.
I think that if you have a complaint particularly about food go straight to the Food Authority and avoid the stores because you will get nowhere.
June 11th, 2011 at 11:32 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Good point Michelle…
No evidence = no case to answer.
And that’s one of the reasons ALDI refuse to give a fresh(?) food refund even with your docket as proof of purchase. They use the “must return product” as blackmail in an attempt to avoid giving you the refund.
Except it didn’t work in my case. You’ve just got to make a scene in front of their other in-store customers. Works like a charm LOL.
June 12th, 2011 at 1:11 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
@ausgeoff
Personally I’d rather see the money go to Germany rather than either Coles or Woolworths. 72% is way too much of a duopoly and is the major reason we pay such bullshit prices in Australia (I read an article yesterday where a farmer saw a pineapple being retailed for fourteen times the price he was paid for it).
Germany, the US I don’t really care. So long as the money goes anywhere but Coles and Woolworths.
June 12th, 2011 at 11:20 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Sorry Oz, but I’ll have to disagree strongly with that sentiment. Even although (as I’ve said elsewhere) I disagree with the Coles-Woolies duopoly, I’d still prefer that their profits stay in Australia — regardless of their less-than-customer-ideal retail practices.
The other thing is that the Germans believe in cutting staffing numbers to the absolute minimum in order to maximise their profit/costing ratio. That’s why you’ll only ever see a dozen staff on an entire ALDI roster, whereas you’ll find 50+ on a Coles-Woolies roster.
That also explains why ALDI customers have to do their own picking and packing from pallets and find their own cardboard boxes to pack their stuff in. The checkout chicks are virtually robots that simply scan your stuff, and won’t even help you bag it. They may as well be the electronic checkout machines that Coles and Woolies use.
The other point is the “myth” that ALDI is much cheaper than the big two. That’s simply incorrect — in Melbourne at least. If one takes the time, and a pencil and paper to actually make the comparison, the results are surprising. There’s absolutely NO difference in the costs of your “basics” — bread, milk, eggs, dairy, meat and poultry, fruit and veggies. In fact if, like me, you ONLY buy Coles-Woolies specials, you’ll often end up getting your stuff cheaper there than ALDI.
Another point — though admittedly minor — is the “industrial” feel of ALDI stores. They’re sort of a cross between an underground rail station and a public toilet. The Germans seem to have no idea of what the aesthetics of a store should be like, and simply don’t understand the part a store’s environment plays in shopper satisfaction.
I don’t really want to buy my groceries in a rather grubby factory setting thank you ALDI.
June 25th, 2011 at 10:16 am Sue(Quote)
I came to this site because I wanted some info on Brannan’s grass fed beef.I’ve bought various cuts of it, eye fillet, which was lovely and tender, and also rump and new york cut which tasted like really cheap inferior cuts.
I really wanted to know if it is genuine grass fed meat because it’s so much cheaper than butchers and supermarket meats, e.g eye fillet @ $29.99 a kilo. That’s usually closer to $50 a kilo elsewhere.
After reading the comments on here I think I’ll be looking elsewhere for grass fed beef from now on. Trouble is not many places stock it.
June 25th, 2011 at 10:22 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Hey Sue…
If you want top quality, guaranteed grass-fed beef, buy King Island beef. I’ve visited the King Island abattoirs and can guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Coles currently carries it. You can also buy it cryovac’d in bulk from certain butchers.
June 27th, 2011 at 11:22 pm Steve(Quote)
ausgeoff how dare you name that poor ALDI employee and where he works for everybody to see. maybe you should publish your name and home address so we can come around as we please and treat you disgracefully as you so deserve.
gutless wonder you are.
and you rave on about how bad ALDI is yet you still go there??? dillusional. nobody cares for whingers. thats the problem with this country, we’re all a bunch of whingers.
June 28th, 2011 at 2:55 am ausGeoff(Quote)
Ha ha… this is so funny…
I’m pretty certain that there’s more than one guy named “Luke” living in Australia!
Uh….? Why do I “deserve” to be treated disgracefully for complaining about lousy customer service and being insulted by a retail store manager in public? You’re obviously missing the point here — I was the one who was treated disgracefully at ALDI — by an alleged professional duty manager whose customer service skills were virtually non-existent.
Presumably you’re one of these wimps that’s too scared to complain assertively and demand your rights if you’re trampled on by some two-bit kid that thinks he’s god’s gift to retailing? How sad.
Before making an even greater fool of yourself my friend (if that’s at all possible LOL) maybe you’d like to re-read my post of 28 Mar 2011? And note where I said…
“Anyway… put simply, because of that unpleasant — and unwarranted — experience at ALDI’s Carrum Downs store, I’ve never again set foot in an ALDI store… There’s easy access, and tonnes of parking, but I simply won’t shop there on principle.”
Hmmm… pot, kettle anyone?
July 13th, 2011 at 6:05 pm Meat man(Quote)
Aldi’s simply tender out their meat supplies to local abbatoirs and processors – and they sell meat and poultry under the Brannans name – Brannans is simply an Aldi “brand” like most of their products.
The meat they buy is pretty much on par with the stuff in most supermarkets and can vary depending on the price of cattle ect. Aldi tend to lock in a price well into the future so they can keep track of their costs. For example you would have seen frenched lamb racks sold there recently for $16.99 per kg – elsewhere these were selling at around $30 per kg because of the cost of lambs (a closer look also showed that the flap meat and fat had not been trimmed off at all and probably added 10% or so to the yield $16.99 per kg for fat is quite expensive) so make sure to take a look at what you are buying.
The processor supplying this lamb ended up losing money as the price of lambs rose dramatically after the price was locked in. And yes there is not a lot of difference between the way grain fed cattle and cage hens are treated – the pens are a little larger of course but the theory is still the same- keep em locked in and eating continuously.
I saw that the meat and wine company at Darling Harbour has 500 day grain fed beef on their menu and was quite surprised, I have seen 360 day grain fed Hereford cattle being processed and they had trouble walking up the race without assistance they were so fat. Dunno how they got 500 day grain fed beast’s up the ramp?
Grass fed beef will eat a little tougher than equivalent grain fed beef but will have more flavour – it will be a bit tougher because the muscles have to work as the animal is walking around the paddock. In my opinion if you like grain fed because it is more tender then just buy a sweeter cut of grass fed beef.
And for gods sake do not eat it unless it is aged for at least 3 weeks (preferably 4 to 6 weeks for boneless) – beef that is too fresh will be very tough and chewy. Anyway thats my two cents worth.
July 14th, 2011 at 10:54 am ausGeoff(Quote)
Thanks for this info Meat Man…
It’s interesting to see how ALDI potentially “cut corners” (but not fat LOL) to keep the apparent cost of their meat so low compared to Coles or Woolies. Personally, I’d prefer to buy better quality — at a higher price per kg — elsewhere, rather than at ALDI.
July 15th, 2011 at 10:36 am Meat man(Quote)
not aldis decision – the processor was getting screwed because of the low price locked in 12 months or so before so they increase their yield to get some margin back. This processor supplies lamb that is equal of anything out there (on a large scale at least). they also supply woolies and export a lot of lamb.
August 7th, 2011 at 11:18 am John(Quote)
Brannan’s poultry products are produced by Inghams. I think there had been a recall of some product that contained soy etc.
August 7th, 2011 at 8:58 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Correct John…
Inghams recalled its Brannans Marinated Whole Chickens from supermarket shelves last month after discovering they could contain undeclared allergens such as soy, oats, rye, fish, sesame seeds and sulphites.
Brannans Marinated Whole Chickens are sold in all ALDI stores across NSW, Vic, QLD, and the ACT.
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand advised consumers who have a soy, oat, rye, fish, sesame seed or sulphite allergy or intolerance to not consume this product.
Any consumers who have a soy, oat, rye, fish, sesame seed or sulphite allergy or intolerance may have a reaction if the product is consumed.
—So much for ALDI’s duty of care! People with coeliac disease or autism are particularly susceptible to these allergens, as they contain gluten and/or gliadin which can cause an anaphylactic shock (in rare circumstances).
Tellingly, these particular (el cheapo?) chicken products are produced exclusively for ALDI stores, and are not marketed through Coles, Woolies, or IGA. So much for ALDI’s quality guarantee!
August 8th, 2011 at 8:27 am Meat man(Quote)
Sounds to me like whoever is doing the chickens for ALDI – Would be either inghams or Biada – have switched what type of brine they use, and they new stuff doesn’t have FDA or EU compliance (this is now a requirement in Australia).
Marinated chickens are run through a needle injecting machine that pumps the brine (marinade) deep into the flesh of the bird to keep it tender and moist – same process as moisture infused pork or pickled meat. Sounds like someone at the processor did not do his or her homework before using this brine, following proper procedure (such as HACCP) would have made sure this would not happen – or at least identified a potential problem before it made it to the shelves.
(why is there so many people allergic to things these days? when I was a kid there was bugger all kids allergic to things, now there seems to be lots of people affected?)
This is the problem with the industry now – dealing with the large chains (and dont kid yourself that coles and woolies are any nicer that ALDIs) is very – very hard. They know how powerful they are and act accordingly (remember the bullies at school?)
As it get harder and harder to make any margin on these supply deals the producer will try different things to save a dollar and increase margin. This situation will get worse and worse as we allow the big US chains into the mix (starting with Costco) – while it is great for us consumers it makes life even tougher for the producers.
Just look at how many dairy farmers have given up milking as the margins have disappeared and this is due to the deregulation of the milk and a price war between supermarkets. Why would you milk cows when you can raise beef cattle on the same property and no worry about the hassle of milking them everyday (sometimes twice!)
August 27th, 2011 at 4:42 pm Nat(Quote)
I purchased chicken breast fillets from Aldi yesterday. On opening the package this afternoon, I noticed one of the fillets had a section yellow blood stained tissue on the underside of the breast. There was no foul odour and I took photo’s of the meat to send to Aldi but there’s no way I can contact their head office. It looked like a gross cancer to me.
I took the package back this afternoon and the Manager was nice about it (however much he was prompting me to pick up another package of chicken and get me out of the shop, it seemed) He said he was going to give it to the Area Manager and get it tested but then I won’t hold my breath over that. I cautiously chose another package of chicken but I’m not sure whether we’ll be eating chicken ever again after this incident.
I have a couple of photos if anyone is interested. Seems Brannan’s Chicken are not on the internet and I’ve no idea (other than through Aldi) of contacting them. Weird huh!
August 27th, 2011 at 8:09 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
@Nat
You’re welcome to send the photos to me via the contact form at the top of the page. You can attach images to the message before you send it.
August 27th, 2011 at 8:38 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Fruitless effort Nat…
Branann’s is simply another of ALDI’s anonymous “house” brands. As is most of their other allegedly fresh produce. This practice allows them to (often but not always) source the cheapest produce from third-party suppliers, and sell it for an elevated price. No names; no pack drill.
If you were to phone Ingham’s for example, and complain about the crappy quality of ALDI-branded Brannan’s chicken, you’d be met with a wall of silence.
And I definitely wouldn’t do this Nat; you’d die of oxygen deprivation…
Your chicken will simply have been chucked in the rubbish skip out the back of the store. There is NO “area manager” and there is NO “testing”. That’s just a sop to get you out of the store and avoid making any fuss in front of the other customers.
And don’t even think about contacting ALDI’s “head office”. The same wall of silence will descend yet again. As I’ve discovered in the past (and documented here previously) ALDI simply refuses to communicate with their (in my case, former) customers regarding any quality or service issues; they simply don’t care.
My advice? Stop shopping at ALDI, and also avoid sending Aussie dollars off-shore to a giant European conglomerate.
October 20th, 2011 at 6:56 am emily(Quote)
So i’m intolerant of something, sulfites I think, I just eat home cooked fresh additive free food, I had the worst symptoms after aldi mince last night, 2 hours of heart palpitating.
Had their bacon earlier, had to cut off gross orange bits. Can I get my money back? It’s the first I’ve bought meat there. Dirt pov atm.
October 20th, 2011 at 9:50 am Meat man(Quote)
@ emily – cant hurt to try and get your money back. Im a bit confused though as I can tell you for sure that the beef mince contains only beef meat and fat (15% fat generally with the premium mince) that has been mixed with dry ice (to keep the temperature down during processing to stop the spread of bacteria as the flesh from the outside of the carcase is mixed with the internal flesh (bacteria grows on the outside first).
The mince is then packed into the trays and vacuum gas flushed with a mix of co2 and oxygen (to keep the meat red and extend shelf life) They do not add any other chemicals to it.
October 20th, 2011 at 2:20 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
I’ll wish you luck Emily…
See my earlier posting (above) on this issue: February 21st, 2011 at 8:38AM.
Short of taking ALDI to court, any refund just ain’t gonna happen. Sorry.
October 24th, 2011 at 11:12 pm Charlie(Quote)
I have been shopping at Aldi for a couple of years but only recently began to question their branding system.
I made to contact their head office regarding the treatment of the animals that they had for purchase but Helen (whom I spoke to and for her part was polite and seemed to want to be helpful) simply told me she didn’t know.
I left my name and number to be contacted regarding this but no response yet…
October 26th, 2011 at 8:12 pm Meat man(Quote)
All animals are slaughtered in registered establishments (all of which that I have been in that supply ALDI have AQIS approval for export) – just like the fresh meat products sold at other supermarkets.
The animals are treated as well as can be expected (it is a killing process at the end of the day!) and they follow all of the appropriate rules and regulations.
These places are very efficient and the animals do not suffer at all – this is in the interests of the processors as a stressed out steer will have a bad PH reading and the meat will cut a very dark red (correct term is “dark cutter”) and will be tough and have an unpleasant flavour – not sure if this is the same for poultry but certainly is true of all red meats.
January 17th, 2012 at 12:20 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
I received the following via email from a ‘Glenda’ who mistook this website as being that of Aldi management. I’ll include the dialogue here as it might be of interest to people researching Aldi meats.
Naturally I advised Glenda to get in contact with Aldi directly.
January 17th, 2012 at 10:25 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
If those figures of Glenda‘s are accurate, then ALDI is obviously pumping their meat with water.
As a guide, cooked meats lose approximately these percentages in mass due to loss of water:
Chicken fillet skin on—8%
Roast chicken—6%
Lean minced beef—4%
Beef eye fillet—8%
Beef whole roast—12%
Additionally, the more lean the beef, the more water it will contain (and lose).
For beef to be losing more than 50% of its mass during cooking is extremely unlikely in my opinion. (Unless it’s pumped of course!) Unfortunately in Australia, there’s no legal limitations on the amount of water that can be added to meat, poultry and seafood products.
Which could be another of the reasons I don’t shop at ALDI. Their “fresh” produce and deli suck big time.
January 21st, 2012 at 5:10 pm Rachel(Quote)
Surely the Brannan’s free range chicken breasts are up to scratch as they have the FREPA logo sticker and come under their regulations. The organic beef mince has also been certified.
I only buy those two Aldi meat products because of their certification/regulating body.
January 21st, 2012 at 9:47 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Brannan’s is not a single, independent supplier as such, it’s simply one of the numerous “brands” that ALDI chooses to stick on their various fresh produce. The so-called Brannan’s chickens could be sourced from any number of third-party suppliers…
The FREPA logo has no particularly binding status. It simply requires (paid) membership by a chicken farmer to a privately-operated organisation—which has no (implied) legal status as such, no requirements to conform with legally-enforceable Standards Australia statutes, and no state or federal government accreditation.
Compliance with FREPA’s “standards”—in a legal sense—are, ultimately, voluntary by the chicken farmer. There’s a gazillion of these industry associations around town, who in reality simply allow a paid-up member to use their logo on their products. In other words; you pay for membership and you can use their logo—which implies to a gullible consumer public that there’s some sort of guarantee that the product is better quality, or more sustainably sourced, or more humanely farmed etc.
And, according to FREPA, ten birds per square metre of ground area is perfectly acceptable from a humane viewpoint. I don’t agree with this.
Secondly, FREPA allows debeaking. I also disagree strongly with this.
In this poultry/egg scenario, ALDI is no better or no worse than Coles or Woolies.
February 12th, 2012 at 2:46 pm Ness VeryWild(Quote)
After reading from top to bottom of this page, I believe there are a number of serious issues here that need to be addressed.
A concern of mine and many other consumers is – is the meat sold at Aldi’s supermarkets (Brannans) for instance) Religiously Certified, such as Halal or Kosher. If so, then as a consumer I have a right to know.
Just for the record, I am a Vegetarian, however, my family do eat meat so I purchase meat for them. Having had stated this though, I refuse to support terrorism via the purchasing of Halal Certified Meats/Products or any product that contains Halal Certified Bi-products, such as Halal Gelatine or Halal Rennet, as there is an Islamic Tax that is placed on all Halal Certification, it is called Zakat Tax and part of this tax is donated to the Islamic Freedom Fighters who are linked to supporting the worlds top terrorist organisations.
Then, there is also the issue of how the animals are killed and research has clearly proven that the animals that are Halal Slaughtered suffer greatly in comparison to animals that are stunned prior to slaughter.
http://www.grandin.com/
Animals Australia are proud to state they they condemn Halal Slaughter, just as the RSPCA do…
http://www.animalsaustralia.org/media/press_releases.php?release=83
So, I would really like to find out exactly where Aldi’s brand Brannans, actually gets their meat from. Until this is clarified, I will continue to only purchase meat for my family from the local trusted butcher.
February 12th, 2012 at 9:05 pm Meat man(Quote)
Not sure what research you are talking about but most export abattoirs in aus kill using halal methods – only difference with beef cattle is the use of a mushroom gun instead of a bolt gun – basically the bolt gun drives a large bolt into the cranial cavity, this does not kill the animal, it renders it unconscious. The animal is then “stuck” with a knife through the throat and it bleeds out.
Halal slaughter is much the same except the gun used has a large mushroom head on it which hits the top of the cranial cavity performing much the same task as the bolt gun, then the animal has its throat cut (after a brief prayer by the guy with the knife).
After seeing the video of the non halal abattoir on late-line thursday night showing pigs being bashed on the head with a lump of pipe on the sticking table and lambs still conscious hanging on the hook while bleeding out, I would be much more worried about smaller less regulated domestic plants with respect to animal cruelty then the larger halal certified plants.
I cannot comment on your claims of Halal fees funnelling through to fund terrorism (I dont think this is the correct forum for such comments anyway) and if the RSPCA had its way we would all be eating fruit and Veg.
Aldis get their meat from whoever wins the tender at the time and meets their standards which are just a stringent as the two major bullies, I mean supermarkets.
And who do you think your local trusted butcher gets his meat from? He does not kill his own, at best he has his own cattle and gets them killed at a registered (possibly halal) abattoir – at worst he buys his meat in cartons that come from a large abattoir (most probably halal) – ask him next time where his meat comes from.
If it is cartons ask to see the label on the box, odds are it will have the Halal symbol on it if it is export standard (signified by an “australia Inspected” stamp on the box and the bags of meat inside. Not many butchers buy sides or quarters any more, carton meat is easier for them to handle and they can buy the cuts that suit their market.
For instance the butcher at Mosman in Sydney would sell a hell of a lot more beef tenderloin than he would blade steak and vice versa in lower socioeconomic areas so carton meat allows him to buy what he sells.
The major chains do not tell you if the meat they sell is halal slaughtered or not do they? Unless it is specifically sold as Halal meat that is.
February 12th, 2012 at 10:59 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Thank you for your comments Meat Man. It’s interesting to read about this from an “insider” as it were…
I understand how the halal killing standards are supposed to work, but I think the major issue for a lot of people is that these standards aren’t necessarily being applied—due to a lack of (virtually) 24/7 observation by government inspectors.
People should also read this SCARM report:
http://www.publish.csiro.au/books/download.cfm?ID=2975
Here in Victoria, it’s a well-known “secret” that the halal-licensed Portland abattoir gets the whisper when the PrimeSafe inspectors are about to pay an “unannounced” visit to the facility.
A couple of months ago, the L.E. Giles abattoir in Trafalgar (in Gippsland, Victoria) was immediately shut down by PrimeSafe after it was revealed that pigs were being “stunned” in either their eyes and/or ears with captive bolts—rather than head-to-back electrical stunning, or at the very least captive bolt to the mid-forehead.
And ALDI consistently and doggedly refuses to divulge in any way the source(s) of their fresh meat or poultry.
Why? What are they hiding?
—And, finally, we need to bear in mind that ALDI’s Australian stores are 100% German owned, and have an annual turnover of more than $70 billion.
March 7th, 2012 at 5:04 pm Bill(Quote)
Just reading the comments regarding concerns about Aldi meats & poultry. I have njust been searching online to find somewhere to send some disturbing pictures of chicken breasts my wife was going to cook tonight, but now, I,m not sure I will eat chicken again.
I don’t know what FREPA is, but it aint worth nothin. My wife opened the pack (dated use by 10.03.12) cut into it when a huge blood clot opened up across the cutting board, but there was also a pocket of foreign looking meat inside the breast attached to sinews.
What pisses me off is there is no way to email this to Aldi or Brannans, and their offices are only open during business hours to be contacted by phone only. Head office is probably a one man operation also…… just to keep costs down.
Obviously Aldi have no time to address customer concerns, last time I buy any meat from them.
March 8th, 2012 at 2:13 am ausGeoff(Quote)
Don’t waste your time and effort Bill; ALDI won’t even listen to your complaint over the phone…
There is no “Brannans” poultry. It’s simply another of ALDI’s house brands (like their Brannans meat). It’s just a devious way for ALDI to hide the fact that you can buy the identical poultry at Coles or Woolies for around the same price. According to a 2011 ‘Choice’ blind testing, both Coles and Woolies home brand chickens rated better than ALDI.
Inghams actually supply ALDI with poultry, so you might be better off phoning them directly.
And as you’ve probably guessed (LOL) I detest the fact that ALDI sends millions of Aussie dollars to Germany every year. At the very least, Coles and Woolies are both Australian owned.
March 25th, 2012 at 8:26 pm Bill(Quote)
Hey geoff, just following up with the chicken breast issue. Got thru to Aldi customer support by phone and was given an email address to post the pictures of the chicken to, and was surprised to get a positive response to my problem.
So far I have been reimbursed the purchase price of the chicken, I have received a letter from Aldi customer service advising me that a full investigation is underway into what it was that was contained within the breast.
All in all I am happy with the efforts so far, will keep you posted.
March 25th, 2012 at 10:02 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
I must admit to being a little surprised by this Bill…
It’s normal ALDI policy to refuse cash refunds unless you physically return the suspect food product to their store. Even presenting a docket won’t get you a refund in-store.
You’ve done very well in getting the proverbial blood out of a stone it seems LOL.
Will be watching for updates.
April 1st, 2012 at 12:19 pm clarek(Quote)
I have read the notes on this site and feel I must add my view as someone without anything or anyone to promote.
When aldi first started I felt the meat and veg. had a huge way to go before I would touch it. Over the time the customer service I have experienced with anything I have purchased hat was not up to scatch has been so good that I have given the meat a chance.
I feel they have improved to a point that I now purchase 90% of my meat, chicken etc from aldi leaving the other major supermarkets to the balance and I am extremely fussy.