Aldi loses the dispute over the price label – consumer advocates see a fundamental problem

Every customer from the supermarket knows this: in addition to the total price, the price per kilogram or per liter must also be stated on the shelf for most products. This is what the statutory price information regulation provides. Consumers should be able to see at a glance how much content they are actually getting for how much money.

With the mandatory specification of the so-called basic prices, however, apparently not every grocery store takes it as precisely as the consumer advice center in Hamburg criticizes. She found rows of missing price information in a random sample – and has now successfully fought an individual case against a regional company of Aldi Nord in court.

The court threatens a fine of up to 250,000 euros

According to the judgment of the regional court in Itzehoe, Aldi Nord is no longer allowed to sell the vegan organic cold cuts of the brand “mein veggie Tag” without stating the basic price (Az. 5 HKO 14/21). Further label sloppiness with veggie cold cuts can be expensive: According to the court, a fine of up to 250,000 euros can be imposed if you violate the label. “Aldi Nord must finally do its homework and comply with the legal requirements! You cannot advertise with low prices and then only show them sloppily,” says Armin Valet from the Hamburg consumer center.

Aldi Nord points out in a statement to the food newspaper that the judgment only related to the price tag of a single product. “Here the prescribed basic price was missing. We would like to apologize to our customers for this fact,” explained Aldi. In addition, the lawsuit was directed exclusively against the Aldi regional company in Horst and could not be related to the entire branch network of Aldi Nord.

Sluts in over 100 cases

The consumer advice center, on the other hand, sees a fundamental problem with label sloppiness beyond the individual case. In five Hamburg Aldi branches, more than 100 price labels were wrong in a random sample in April. One market alone attracted attention with 30 violations. “There were missing basic prices, wrong basic prices, missing and wrong price tags, also occasional misleading information on price reductions as well as confusing information with sample prices on the price tag,” report the consumer advocates, who have documented numerous violations with photos. Aldi explained that they take the information seriously and at the same time as an opportunity to check their own processes.

The consumer center wants to keep an eye on sloppiness when it comes to price labels. Because the authorities do not check regularly, so that violations are hardly punished. “Cheaters hardly have to worry that you will find out about them,” says consumer advocate Valet. “Not only Aldi, other retailers don’t take it that seriously either, according to consumer complaints.”

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