While the German Supermarket Goliath, ALDI, has been in Western Australia since June 2016, I have never entered an ALDI store and frankly have no intention of ever doing so.
Australia is among the best food producers in the world, first class rated dairy, meat and grain, producing great tasting and quality fresh produce, manufactured sweets and snacks, that we expect as a first world economy.
Yet, some Australians are shopping at these stores, coin in hand for the trolley, and buying junk quality food, at what I would describe as average prices. It reminds me of when I have shopped in supermarkets in Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. The packaging is bright and colorful, enticing you to take a second look, even though you don’t initially recognise what the silly name actually means in relation to the product itself.
OK, Tim Tam isn’t a Vietnamese Chef, at first glance, the name doesn’t clearly provide an accurate description of the ultimate melt in the mouth chocolate coated delight that they are. However, I know what a Tim Tam is, I know where it is made, and from what it has always been made. I will know if someone has substituted the ingredients.
Similar to Samboy or Smiths Chips, Kelloggs Nutrigrain or Sanitarium Weetbix. Australian manufactured food produce from mostly Australian made ingredients, made here.
Lets take a look at what you get at ALDI. Besides the Fake “Tim Tams” made in the Netherlands:
ALDI have had troubles before with Horse Meat substitution for Beef, Honey being substituted with sugar syrup, Tapware containing lead and the wooden stools and designer furniture rip-off fiasco.
Seriously, are you a Supermarket or a Hardware Store, Furniture Big Box or Outdoor Retailer.
I want to buy food and ensure some clown ain’t about to put rip my eye out with a fishing hook or drop a BBQ on my foot.
My biggest bug bear, is that ALDI is lauded the most trusted Brand in Australia. How does a company 
with only 12% of Australia’s grocery market share, manage to scam such a result. Just what is the qualification or parameters utilised by the survey organisation to arrive at such a result. Considering NRMA came 2nd, and they don’t exist anywhere other than NSW and the ACT, we could feel the results are a tad spurious, or the sample of respondents was unbalanced Australia wide.
And just for the record, I know I can get ‘The Real Deal” , both my Smiths Chips and my Pepsi Max, both for 2 bucks each , every week at Woolies, and my rewards points to boot.
AUSTRALIA, I suggest you just learn to shop smarter, before our iconic and well regarded brands become items of yesteryear, when every chocolate bar will taste like a Hershey!, Enough said.