Redditors Say To Think Twice Before Grabbing A Bag Of Onions At Aldi

One could rightly say that shopping at Aldi tends to be a mixed bag. You score superb savings on your grocery bill but some of those items you bring home aren't always the pillar of quality. Many customers think twice about buying Aldi's lunch meat, for example. One culinary staple most folks probably thought was safe has become a controversial purchase, according to some redditors.

In the subreddit r/aldi, one netizen created a thread centered around questionable onions they bought from Aldi. "Questionable" may be too diplomatic a term here — they were rotten at the core. They wrote, "They seem fine at first glance, but then you cut into them and they're soft and mushy. Yesterday I had one that was completely black inside!"

Some shoppers already avoid Aldi's bananas, but one person who responded to the post indicated that it's onions that are a no-go for them because they've experienced the same problem. They replied, "I've completely stopped buying onions from Aldi for this reason. Everywhere else, I have no issues. But from Aldi, they're moldy in three days."

Seeing black mold on the outside of an onion is a fairly common occurrence. It's caused by a fungus called Aspergillus niger, and although it looks entirely unappealing, it isn't all that dangerous to folks who aren't allergic to it. It can be rinsed off with cold water, and the onion can be safely consumed or the infected layer can just be removed. However, rot on the inside of an onion is a different matter. Apparently it's more prevalent at Aldi than you might think.

In a separate thread on r/aldi, someone else indicated they, too, had purchased onions from the discount grocery store which were rotting in the middle and they were confused as to whether any part of the veggie was still okay to eat. They posted, "Never seen this before ... I don't like wasting food, so wondering if the outside layers are still safe to eat or if I should toss them all." One person responded, "It's a disease of the onion. You can pull the bad sections out and use the rest. It's not uncommon and sucks."

That is true, sometimes. A bacterial infection that can occur while the bulbs are still in the ground can cause an onion to appear as if it's dying from the inside out. In that case, you can typically remove the infected parts and use the rest of the veg. However, this can also be a sign that mold has infected the entire onion. If it shows signs of black mold, has fuzzy spots, is mushy, or smells like a compost heap, it's best to throw the whole thing out.

One person who was being more constructive than some posters just dunking on Aldi had a suggestion about what to do if you come home with rotten onions. "Try another, and get the Twice as Nice Guarantee if the whole bag is bad," they wrote. Some people simply avoid certain Aldi products altogether, but the store's generous return policy will at least make your wallet whole even if you have to pivot with your dinner plans.