How Aldi Keeps Its Seafood So Affordable

Aldi has become a prime spot to find exceptional seafood deals. The question is, how can Aldi offer inexpensive fish while maintaining high-quality standards? The grocery chain has developed a multi-pronged approach to supply shoppers with affordable fresh fish, such as tilapia and salmon, which is delivered daily, as well as frozen fish. The approach involves optimizing its seafood sources, using efficient store operations, and creating partnerships across the seafood industry. 

You can buy numerous kinds of seafood in the frozen section at Aldi, including crab, shrimp, salmon, and cod, making Aldi the secret to a budget-friendly seafood boil. However, you can also purchase fresh fish. One factor in Aldi stocking fresh, never frozen, fish is the sourcing and management of the supply chain, including shipping fish directly from suppliers across the globe. Aldi purchases tilapia and salmon in bulk that's certified with Best Aquaculture Practices and sells it for less. Having such control within the supply chain allows Aldi to offer fresh fish to customers at a more affordable price. In addition, Aldi's commitment to expanding the seafood market, combined with limiting the varieties of fresh fish and controlling the amount for sale, gives them a competitive edge in the retail seafood business.

Aldi South Group, which operates Aldi stores in the U.S., and Aldi Nord Group aim to source all of its store-brand seafood from sustainable fisheries and farms, whether frozen or fresh. The suppliers Aldi works with are required to keep records of fish catch methods and locations in order for Aldi to remain transparent about its products. The Aldi scandal that took place in 2017, in which Aldi sold fish supplied by North Korean slave labor, prompted this new measurement and Aldi remedied its faux pas by including traceable catches and avoiding unregulated products. The new suppliers offer shoppers a safeguard against purchasing any unethically sourced seafood.

Aldi supplies high-quality farm-raised fish, as well as seafood caught from sustainable wild fisheries. There are things to know about farm-raised fish if you're purchasing seafood sourced from an aquaculture farm, like some of the seafood products at Aldi, to ensure you get the best quality product. If you want to avoid Atlantic cod due to overfishing, the fresh sustainable tilapia at Aldi may satisfy your need for whitefish, and the plethora of seasoned fish varieties available can also provide enhanced flavor for your next meal and at a friendly price.