Healthier Checkout Lanes Coming to Aldi Supermarkets

Statement of CSPI Senior Nutrition Policy Counsel Jessica Almy
The last thing harried consumers need after making a series of shopping decisions is to be confronted with a wall of candy and soda at checkout.  Giving customers choices they can feel good about supports their health and frees parents up to say “yes” to their kids.  We commend Aldi on the commitment it announced today to introduce healthier checkout lanes into its nearly 1,500 stores by the end of 2016.
Putting products at checkout can prompt purchases—and putting foods at kids’ eye level can induce requests for those products and family conflict.  By offering dried fruits, nuts, and other healthier products in its healthier checkout lanes, Aldi will make it easier for shoppers using those checkouts to make choices that are in line with their long-term goals for themselves and their families.
Aldi is the first U.S. supermarket chain to make a commitment in so many stores.  Offering a healthier checkout aisle in each store is a terrific step.  But in the UK, all checkout aisles in each Aldi store are candy-free.