Aldi creates ‘healthy basket’ of 49 essentials for under £45

No comments

Aldi healthy basket

Aldi has come up with a “healthy shopping basket” of 49 products for under £45 in partnership with the British Dietetic Association.

The intention is a “healthy, sustainable basket of popular foods, with a further emphasis on being affordable”, according to the BDA.

The move comes with retailers and suppliers under pressure to do more to tackle obesity. The government’s latest obesity strategy, published in July, proposes banning products high in fat, sugar or salt from getting prominent positioning in stores.

The BDA said its own “insight work” suggested the pandemic had also changed the way the public prioritised health and sustainability.

According to the association, Aldi’s basket meets proportions set in the NHS Eatwell Guide while also selecting items in the most popular categories as defined by the Office for National Statistics.

At £42.72, it includes meat, fish and both fresh and tinned fruit & veg, as well as olive spread, two types of cheeses, eggs, milk, bread, pasta, rice and tea bags. Absent are sugary cereals and drinks, while it does contain porridge oats, crumpets and malt loaf.

Overall, it contains five times more plant protein than found in the average UK diet, according to Aldi and the BDA.

The basket, publicised on a new Aldi web page, shifts shoppers towards greater intakes of fruits and vegetables, wholegrain and dairy-free alternatives, such as soya drinks, the discounter said.

The supermarket is also working with the BDA on a report for dieticians on the “small changes people can make to ensure their shopping baskets are healthier and more sustainable”.

The discounter said it was part of its wider efforts to help its customers be healthier and more sustainable.

A new BDA web page on the project said it “looks at an approach to modelling a healthy, sustainable basket of popular foods, with a further emphasis on being affordable”.

“We have blended these with pragmatic choices of familiar foods which are appealing to many shoppers,” it said. “The basket and supporting communications convey the many simple steps towards diets that are nutritionally and environmentally ‘better’ without costing more.

“The main themes are increases in plant-protein foods without increasing protein overall, greater intakes in fruits and vegetables (compared to current typical consumption levels), greater intakes of wholegrain versus white/refined starchy foods, and reductions in foods high in sugars and salt.”

Here’s what’s in the basket:

4 loose bananas

Nature’s Pick small royal gala apples, 6

Nature’s Pick mini pears, 5

Bunch red grapes (500g)

Four Seasons Raspberries (frozen), 350g

Four Seasons Peach slices in juice, 410g

Carrots – 500g (7-8 carrots)

Onions – 3 medium white

Broccoli (whole head)

White cabbage (small)

Courgettes (3 medium)