Aldi is cutting 44 more ingredients from its products — here’s what’s going away

The cuts bring the retailer’s total list of removed ingredients to 57, building on earlier efforts to simplify its private-label lineup.

Key Points

• Aldi is removing 44 additional ingredients from its private-label foods, vitamins, and supplements, bringing its total to 57 ingredients set to be eliminated by December 2027.
• The cuts include artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, and sweeteners such as BHA, BHT, potassium bromate, and titanium dioxide, reflecting customer demand for simpler ingredient lists.
• Aldi says prices and product taste will remain consistent during the phased reformulation, as it joins other major brands and retailers moving away from synthetic additives.

Next time you reach for Aldi's store-brand granola bars or vitamins, the label may look a little different. 

On April 22, America's self-described "fastest-growing grocer" announced it is removing an additional 44 ingredients from its private-label food, vitamin, and supplement products. It added in a statement that this is part of a broader push to simplify what ends up in shoppers' carts.

The addition of these 44 ingredients brings Aldi's total ingredient removal count to 57, all of which Aldi added will be removed by its December 2027 deadline. The list includes select artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, and sweeteners.

Among the ingredients getting the boot are BHA and BHT, two synthetic antioxidants commonly used to extend shelf life; azodicarbonamide, a dough conditioner you may recognize as a material used in yoga mats; titanium dioxide, a whitening agent used in everything from salad dressing to candy; and potassium bromate, a flour-strengthening additive that several countries have already banned outright. Also on the list are parabens, phthalates, and talc, ingredients commonly found in personal care products. 

Related: More Than 10,000 Chemical Food Additives Ended Up in the U.S. Food System — Here's Why

“At the heart of our private label products is a commitment to listening to our customers and continually improving the products they bring into their homes,” Scott Patton, Aldi’s chief commercial officer, shared. “Based directly on customer feedback, we are proud to take meaningful steps to make it even easier for families to fill their carts with confidence by delivering simpler ingredients, while continuing to provide the quality and value they expect from Aldi.”

This isn't Aldi's first go at cutting ingredients. The chain explained that it also removed 13 ingredients from its exclusive products more than a decade ago and, in 2015, became one of the first national grocers to strip certified synthetic colors from its store-brand lineup.

Aldi said that product reformulations will roll out in phases through December 2027 and that updated ingredient information will appear directly on packaging. And before you ask, no, prices aren't expected to change (at least for now).

"As always, we remain dedicated to offering our shoppers quality products at the lowest possible prices. By working closely with suppliers to find efficiencies across our supply chain and store operations, we will continue to create savings that we pass back to customers," the chain added.

Related: Aldi Is Overhauling Nearly Every Product in Its Stores — Here’s What’s Changing

It's also hoping to limit any change in the taste of its products, which it says it will achieve by "continuously" evaluating its products, "tasting them up to five times annually, to ensure our products meet or beat the quality of pricier national brands." 

Aldi is the latest grocer to announce similar changes. In October, Walmart announced it would eliminate synthetic dyes, artificial sweeteners, and other additives from all of its private-label foods, including Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed, and Bettergoods, by January 2027. Individual brands are also making similar moves, including Heinz and General Mills, which announced it will eliminate artificial food dyes from all U.S. products by the end of 2027, while Campbell’s said it will eliminate synthetic food dyes from all its products by the second half of 2026. 

Read the original article on Food & Wine