Aldi unveils biggest product change in 25 years

Aldi Australia has unveiled one of its biggest product changes in 25 years, transitioning Farmdale 1L milk cartons to plastic bottles.

And so far, customer reactions are mixed.

It was a startling sight for loyal Aldi shoppers unused to dramatic product changes such as this, particularly to one of supermarket’s the core lines.

With the makeover came many questions. Has the price changed? What about the environment? Will the new bottles extend the shelf life? Has the milk quality changed? We answer them all.

The new one-litre milk bottle

Aldi’s Farmdale Milk, light and full cream, can now be found in a recyclable twist-cap HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) bottle in the fridge section in select states, nine.com.au has been told.

Farmdale is an exclusive Aldi brand, with the dairy range made from 100 per cent Australian milk.

Other milk brands found at Aldi include Inner Goodness, The a2 Milk Company, Bonsoy, Biocult, Norco, and Heart Active.

Is the price the same?

The price of the new Farmdale 1L milk bottles is $1.85 which is the same as the previous milk cartons.

Milk prices at Aldi, and Coles and Woolworths’ home brands, increased across the board in April following a plea from Aussie farmers struggling with increased production costs.

Coles was first to hike the prices, followed by Woolworths, and then Aldi, with all three grocery retailers now price matched in milk.

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A 1L milk at Aldi, Coles, and Woolworths, increased from $1.65 to $1.85, an increase of 20c.

2L increased from $3.20 to $3.55. And 3L rose from $4.65 to $5.15.

Are the new bottles recyclable?

Aldi’s new 1L plastic milk bottles are recyclable, as were their previous milk cartons, with one, important caveat.

While the new plastic milk bottles are recyclable, as are all supermarket milk bottles, the lids are not.

The lids need to go in the general rubbish bin, or can be dropped off at collection points, via programs like Bandish BRAD which shreds and recycles them.

Or, you can use the Recycle Mate tool to find out what to do with them in your local council area.

Does the new bottle mean a later ‘use by’ date?

Food scientist Dr Emma Beckett said the new design shouldn’t impact the product’s ‘use by’ date, adding that the rules of ‘use by’ dates on dairy products remain the same.

And she said “used by” dates on milk are and always have been finite, adding that the “sniff test” isn’t a safe way to decide if your milk is still good for use, due to invisible bacteria.

“Milk is one of the ones that you have to watch the “use by” date. You can’t trust your nose,” she told nine.com.au.

“Once milk smells bad, it is definitely a food safety risk, before you can taste or smell the difference.”