How do you guys find Aldi?: Since... - Gluten Free Guerr...

Gluten Free Guerrillas

10,827 members4,412 posts

How do you guys find Aldi?

Flowerpot108 profile image
19 Replies

Since learning I am celiac I have scanned everything with the Celiac UK app. However, it never has anything from Aldi in it, but I like shopping there as it's so cheap. I mostly get whole foods so it's fine, bit I do like to get dark chocolate and rice cakes.

Do you guys just check the label and see if there are any gluten products listed in bold or in the may contain section, and if there aren't go for it?

Like would you eat the attached?

Written by
Flowerpot108 profile image
Flowerpot108
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
19 Replies
Whydothis profile image
Whydothis

No idea about Aldi, as there isn't one here!I too eat mostly wholefoods, and very little processed food

Regarding the chocolate, I would have more confidence in that one, with the detailed "may also contain" information, as they have thought about what else might contaminate it in the factory. Without any "may contain" declaration, I would probably keep away from it.

For rice cakes - you need to check they are labelled "gluten free" as some are not guaranteed free of contamination.

I hope this helps

Flowerpot108 profile image
Flowerpot108 in reply to Whydothis

Thanks!

Cooper27 profile image
Cooper27

Partner has gotten sick multiple times from Aldi gluten free foods - falafel, tuna (this one was on 4 separate occasions, so we have no doubt the tuna was not GF) and crisps. When I contacted them to report it, they just said we must have gotten sick from something else,definitely not their food, it was pretty awful customer services to be frank!

This all happened about 3 years ago and I've only recently chanced them again, but only for a few very carefully chosen items. I don't know if I'll ever trust them for a full shop...

We've never had problems with Lidl, although I find it difficult to achieve a full shop there too, as there are some things they just don't stock.

in reply to Cooper27

Was the tuna plain in a tin, or in the chilled salad tubs section?

Cooper27 profile image
Cooper27 in reply to

It was tinned, sweet chilli flavoured stuff. The range had a soya sauce flavoured tuna that wasn't GF, but I looked up the other flavours on their gluten free food list at the time, and it said all other flavours were GF. I suspect cross contamination from the soya sauce line.

Flowerpot108 profile image
Flowerpot108 in reply to Cooper27

Yeah I think it was our conversation before that made me wary of Aldi Cooper27 , so I've been shopping at Tesco just to be on the safe side so I can scan everything.

in reply to Cooper27

Nightmare. Anything that has been adulterated in anyway with a sauce or flavour is a risk. Blooming liars sayings it's GF.

Everyone is different in this regard. In my early gluten free days I was more adventurous and would have viewed this chocolate as safe as no gluten ingredients, and none listed in manufacturing. I have learned over the years, in the main from being frequently glutened, that nothing anywhere or anyone can be trusted, even the products that are listed as gluten free and ok'd by Coeliac UK. I personally would do 'due diligence' and check up the line with Aldi, and insist on their checking with the technical team at their suppliers on the risk factors with this. Customer Care at any of the supermarkets are utterly pointless and will give you 100 different answers with regard gluten, and none of them correct. I have found a lot of dark chocolate bars not to be safe, despite no obvious gluten listed. Worst offender I have found is Green & Blacks. Similar to the rice cakes - do due diligence. I did this with Kallo rice cakes which are labelled as 'gluten free' - turns out they are produced in same factory where gluten/wheat is present, and they also make the Mrs Crimble gluten free range in the same factory. If it is processed, be mega wary, and always check up the line.I find the safest bet with chocolate is to find a very safe brand and bite the bullet to pay a little bit extra for it, and invariably buy online. Sainsbury stock (in some of their stores) a brand called Raw Halo which is gluten and dairy free, and do test to no measurable gluten.

I did a 'Google' on the Aldi chocolate Moser Roth. It is made by a German company called Storck who do produce other products that contain gluten. They do not list this chocolate on their website, as only made for Aldi, but you can contact the company directly via: storck.co.uk/en/service/

If you Google 'Moser Roth gluten free' leads to links for Aldi gluten safe list. This one is from 2018, leads to a PDF download, and lists this brand is ok for gluten and specifically lists this mint one, but again, best to check as manufacturing can change google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q...

This 2020 list from Coeliac UK lists this brand as ok but not this specific mint version, so strange it's not on their scanning app: coeliac.org.uk/document-lib...

Flowerpot108 profile image
Flowerpot108 in reply to

Oh goodness! I mean is sounds smart what you're doing, but exhausting because what do you do when you need to buy food on the go?

I have an underactive thyroid so I often suffer with extreme fatigue and sometimes I just want some pre-prepared food, or I'm on my period and need chocolate!

Aldi is the shop right next to me so it would be good to shop there, these lists are good thank you very much.

Yeah I dont understand why they haven't got that list of food on the app...maybe they do and I've only ever scanned newer food...or they dont have newer barcodes or something...

Having become aware of this condition during lockdown I've been a bit nervous about going and staying with other people or going out for food. But I've eaten out now, and although you REALLY have to dig down and double check - ok so these are your gluten free dishes but are they cooked in the same fryer/ prepared in the same place as or by any food with gluten - and then they go check and come back again and go "sorry we haven't got any gluten free food". And I'm like ok thanks. Better to not have it then get glutened. Kindly that pub said I could order food in so I got some from a takeaway that does gluten free food. But I have had to put my life in their hands and if they say "yes we prepare it separately" then I just have to cross my fingers and hope for the best. And so far it's gone well! I've ordered in from a few places too and if they put GF next to the dish on the menu I go for it. Maybe I sound reckless but I guess we live and we learn 😅.

Going to people's houses is a bit harder but I live in a house share and there is always poison everywhere in tbe kitchen. Thats actually how I see it now 😂 poison. If someone has some garlic bread on a shelf above mine I'm like ahhh!!!! Or I come in the kitchen and there are crumbs everywhere on the side 😭 but I've got my kitchen stuff in my room and I clean everywhere with kitchen towel before I cook, and so far so good. I've got the top shelf of the freezer and the top shelf of a fridge now.

If I go to someone's house, if they clean stuff in a dishwasher I find it's fine. I'm a bit more nervous about a sponge because I've seen people clean a pasta pot and it all just stays on the sponge and then gets wiped on the glass 😱 so I've just declined a glass and drunk a bit of tonic water and then put gin in a massive bottle of tonic before just to sit in someone's garden and not have to use their glass 😅.

I guess we all just have to figure out through trial and error how sensitive we are. Which is...fun 😅

in reply to Flowerpot108

It's a blooming nightmare, and the longer I go on this coeliac/gluten journey the more convinced I am that none of us will ever properly recover or get healthy due to the practices and standards. I'm reading this morning about gluten risk in probiotic supplements and supplements generally that is not declared. The 20ppm rule is also a crock of the proverbial. I've found I've had to become more and more isolated down the years from the risk situations to the point where I do not eat out, I do not eat at anyone else's home if I can help, and take my own food everywhere/opt to temporarily go hungry. We have no true representative body that lobbies properly for us, and food manufacturing is corrupt to the core with products being declared gluten free that are not even tested. The codex of 20ppm is a myth and cumulative ingestion of foods in codex level leads to longterm ongoing damage. We need cure/treatment research escalated and a strict policy on food manufacturing. There is no other illness that is as failed (that I can see) than coeliac. I also wonder how the hell we got to a point where wheat/gluten is just so prevalent in everything - it's the pandemic that is ruining more lives every day, week and year than covid but I see no emergency task teams tackling it. We're all supposed to just shut up, put up and be grateful for half-assed efforts from CUK and Food Standards Agency, never mind ill-educated medical profession. Welcome to the world of coeliac!!!

MTCee profile image
MTCee in reply to

I couldn’t agree more.

Flowerpot108 profile image
Flowerpot108 in reply to

Oh my gosh it would be so bloomin nice if we could feel secure in the knowledge that it something says it's GF it is and rest easy knowing we are cared for by the gov we pay our taxes to.

Cooper27 profile image
Cooper27 in reply to Flowerpot108

We find the "find me gluten free" app quite helpful.

There's also a lot of Facebook groups out there, where you can get recommendations, for example we like "gluten free - where to eat in Scotland" very helpful for where we are 🙂

The chains we fall back on tend to be Nandos (GF fryer for chips too), brewers fayre, zizzis, pizza express, pizza hut, pret a manger, hard rock cafe.

Flowerpot108 profile image
Flowerpot108 in reply to Cooper27

Thanks!!!

K-Kilcoyne profile image
K-Kilcoyne

I have eaten the chocolate shown with no effect.I found a chocolate bar in Aldi usually on the bottom shelf, it's simple plain chocolate at 30p a bar.

I'm also diabetic so a couple of pieces of this covers my sweet tooth.😁

Flowerpot108 profile image
Flowerpot108 in reply to K-Kilcoyne

Ooo yeah I saw that! Unfortunately I cant have dairy and they only ever seem to have the milk one at my branch. But I do look out for the dark one because its best not to eat too much sugar with my underactive thyroid.

nellie237 profile image
nellie237

I buy Tesco Dark Mint regularly, and haven't had a problem with it. Most of the GF chocolate seems to be milk which is really annoying for those of us who prefer dark.😖

Flowerpot108 profile image
Flowerpot108 in reply to nellie237

That is really annoying! Or if you can't have dairy!

Tabbyme profile image
Tabbyme

Yes

You may also like...

How do you find eating abroad?

tricky, less gluten free products available Portugal - not too bad, cook in oil and some gluten...

Lactose Intolerant how do you find out?

intolerant, is it a case of just cutting out milk products to see what happens, or were you tested?...

How did you find out you had a gluten intolerance?

bread but when I was tested recently for celiac was told I was fine. I have had hypothyroidism for...

For those on thyroid replacement, which do you find best and gluten free?

that if this were a food company they wouldn't be entitled to label their goods gluten free....

Do you find being a Coeliac stressful? If so what relaxation tips have you found useful?

waiter understands you're asking for gluten free food (not 'free' food!). If so what relaxation...