Major Aldi update as shoppers urged to make ‘essential’ donation

Aldi is a hugely popular supermarket here in the UK, stocking affordable groceries, beauty and homeware items. It was named as the cheapest supermarket in March by the experts at Which?, so it’s the place to be if you’re trying to cut down on the cost of the food shop.

However, Aldi also aims to give back to local communities, with the help of its shoppers. This month, the retailer has introduced a major change instore with people being urged to make an ‘essential’ donation. It’s something you’ve probably not considered before, but it’s a massive part of many people’s lives.

You may have noticed donation boxes for food close to the checkouts in your local store. Now, with April being National Pet Month, Aldi is encouraging shoppers to contribute pet food at its community donation points in-store.

This move aims to help families dealing with the soaring costs that can come with taking care of pets, according to the Grocery Gazette. According to the PDSA animal wellbeing report, 86% of pet owners say the cost of owning a pet has increased,

These pet food donations will be sent to local charities and community groups through the discounter’s partnership with Neighbourly.

Luke Emery, national sustainability director at Aldi UK, said: “Pets are part of the family, but the cost-of-living conversation rarely acknowledges them when, in reality, increasing costs are putting extra pressure on the whole household budget, including everyday essentials – like pet food.

“By making it simple for customers to donate in-store, via our existing partnership with Neighbourly, we hope to support local communities and help ensure families can continue to care for their much-loved pets.”

Aldi has been working with Neighbourly since 2019 and since then it’s donated the equivalent of more than 50 million meals to good causes across the UK. The partnership helps ensure that enough food reaches those most in need while also reducing food waste.

It comes after Aldi was once again crowned the cheapest supermarket in the UK by Which? for the third month in a row.

Each month, the experts check the prices of 95 popular branded and own-brand groceries, including milk, cheese and Hovis sliced bread, at eight of the UK’s major supermarkets to see how they compared.

At Aldi, the average price of that basket was £171.32. It narrowly beat fellow budget retailer Lidl, coming in at £172.31, if you have a Lidl Plus card.

Asda, Tesco and Sainsburys came next, followed by Morrisons, Ocado and then Waitrose at the bottom.