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One of Aldi's most viral scandals occurred in early 2013 when it was revealed that some of its beef products actually contained undisclosed horse meat. The grocer discovered as much as 100% horse meat in some of its frozen beef products during routine random testing. The impacted products were frozen lasagna and frozen spaghetti bolognese from the brand Today's Special, and the company quickly pulled them from the shelves as a food safety precaution.

Aldi traced the supply chain and connected the contamination issue to French supplier Comigel, a large French food processing company that also supplied contaminated beef products to other popular brands like Findus. The horse meat products were delivered to grocery stores in France, Britain, and Sweden. A spokesperson for Aldi explained that they were equally as disappointed in the contamination from the French supplier as their consumers. Unfortunately, it was unclear whether the "meat mixup" was purposeful or negligent on the part of the supplier.

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In 2019, Aldi faced another shocking food scandal when hundreds of kilograms of cocaine were found hidden in banana crates delivered to 6 Aldi store locations in Germany, as well as a warehouse. Aldi employees discovered the haul and notified local officials, who separated and secured the crates for a full investigation. State police indicated that the stash was likely from Latin America and amounted to a value of about $28 million, making it potentially the largest haul of cocaine ever found in northern Germany.

However, this was not the first time, or even the second time that cocaine had been smuggled into Aldi grocery stores. There were actually two other incidents in which millions of dollars worth of drugs had been stashed in fruit and other products. In one case in 2015, about $12.5 million worth of cocaine was found in banana crates that had been shipped to Berlin as well. Police speculated that these shipments arrived at Aldi grocery stores by mistake.

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In 2019, the discount grocery store was accused of not paying California employees their earned wages. Former Aldi grocery store employees Jeree Gant and Jennifer Lacey-Salas each filed a class action lawsuit against the company, alleging that they (along with other employees) were not granted full payment for all the hours they worked during their employment. Specifically, the company did not pay the employees overtime or compensate for business-related expenses, despite them having been earned. The California class action suit also alleged that the company broke several other laws based on the California labor code, including not giving sufficient meal and rest breaks.

Jeree Gant and Jennifer Lacey-Salas filed the suits on behalf of more than 2,000 Aldi employees who worked across various California store locations. Aldi quickly offered a $2 million settlement in response to the lawsuit.

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In a tragic incident just before Christmas in 2017, an Aldi employee was fatally stabbed in a revenge act during her shift at the grocery store. 30-year-old Jodie Willsher was stabbed by 44-year-old Neville John Hord in front of shoppers and fellow employees at the Aldi store where she worked in the U.K.'s North Yorkshire Hord was a former boyfriend of Willsher's mother, and the murder was an act of revenge, according to prosecutor Peter Moulston QC.

Hord was detained by a few shoppers and employees, and was arrested and later sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison for the gruesome act. Police later discovered that Hord had placed a GPS tracking device on Willsher's car as well. Willsher's husband, 4-year-old daughter, colleagues, and the small town of Skipton were left horrified by the public act of violence. According to the manager of the Aldi store, Willsher was a well-liked and popular employee, and her friends and colleagues were devastated by the tragic event.

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Aldi landed in hot water again when it was accused of spying on employees and customers. A former store detective claimed that he was instructed by his branch manager to install hidden cameras and gather information on employees, including their private financial information. The cameras were installed without the staff's knowledge, leading to further suspicion of bad intent. Some cameras even focused on the cash registers, where card readers with customer's credit card information were displayed.

Aldi denied the claims that it was attempting to spy on employees, insisting that any cameras in the store are used strictly to protect customers and staff. It also insisted that no customer PIN numbers or credit card information could be seen from the positioning of the cameras. However, Peter Schaar, the German commissioner for privacy protection, explained that if it is possible for thefts to be prevented in other ways, surveillance may not be used.

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In addition to its impressive supply of groceries, Aldi also sells home goods and kitchen appliances. One product that was particularly popular in Australia was the Spiral Spring Mixer Tap. Aldi came under fire when the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) performed tests on the water from these kitchen faucets and found unsafe levels of lead. Prolonged exposure to lead can lead to an array of health issues, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney damage.

Aldi removed the product so the company could perform a thorough internal investigation, though the spiral tap had already been sold to an estimated 12,000 homes. Aldi's personal testing revealed that the water levels were well within the acceptable range provided by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and the taps were in fact safe for use. Aldi Australia's CEO Tom Daunt explained that the tests completed by the QBCC were not conducted appropriately and Aldi's internal investigation confirmed that the product was perfectly safe for use.

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Gloria Besley filed a lawsuit against the grocery store in August 2018 after a turkey burger she purchased from her local Aldi exploded and left her with extensive injuries. According to Besley, she cooked the frozen turkey burgers per the "fry" instructions on the box: Preheat the skillet on medium heat, add a small amount of vegetable oil, and cook burgers on each side for 7 to 9 minutes. After placing the burgers in the oil as instructed, one exploded leaving her with second-degree burns on her hands and forearms, as well as permanent scarring.

The Pennsylvania woman sought $35,000 in damages from the grocery store due to the burn injuries she endured. She filed the suit in Allegheny County in January 2019 and the case was settled about a year later, although the settlement information was not shared publicly.

Aldi

UC Davis researchers launched an investigation into private-label avocado oils from 19 retailers, including Aldi, and found that about 70% of them that were labeled as "pure" actually contained additional oils and additives. The study landed Aldi in trouble with consumers who were none too happy to discover that the healthier oil alternative they were purchasing was not, in fact, as healthy as advertised. The product in question was the Aldi brand Simply Nature product, which was advertised as being 100% pure avocado oil.

Maggie Frost, on behalf of herself and other misled consumers, filed a class action lawsuit against the company for the misrepresentation of the ingredients in the Simply Nature Avocado Oil. While other Simply Nature products, like its veggie-packed broccoli bites, are a hit with customers, the science suggests you might want to skip Aldi's olive oil.