Grocery News

Many Kitchn editors and writers have spoken at great length about our collective love for Aldi. The grocery giant has really good chocolate, coffee, and wine, and of course you can get everything for a really great price. But it isn’t perfect. Aldi doesn’t have everything that other major grocers offer and it’s eager to catch up. Will these new additions win over potential new customers?

Near the top of the list of awesome grocery store items resides rotisserie chicken from beloved bulk retailer Costco. You can eat them as is or piece them out for meals throughout the week. Even if you’re not sure how you’re going to use it, one should go in your grocery cart because a need will arise sooner than you think. And at $4.99, the rotisserie chickens are actually cheaper to purchase than the uncooked ones at Costco.

To start 2018 on a high note, Trader Joe’s has just released their favorite 15 recipes. “It’s time to start cooking,” the company said in their latest Fearless Flyer. The collection includes recipes for every meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, plus sides and appetizers. Whether you’re trapped in the snow, or just looking for a few great lunch ideas that use products from your favorite grocer, this is for you.

What’s that sound? Oh nothing, just everyone on the planet rushing to the stores to pick up the latest candy. What candy could cause such a rush? The one and only Cadbury Egg. This cult candy has wooed us for years, and the latest release has people very excited. Cadbury Creme Eggs now come in white chocolate, but it definitely won’t be easy to get your hands on one. Okay, so with good news there’s always bad news, right?

Amazon has become an integral part of our lives. We pull things up on our need-to-buy list and click to order and have things shipped with the press of a single button. Remember the days where you had to actually go to the store for things? Man, that was so 2012! Last year when Amazon bought Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, it felt like a massive shift for how we grocery shop. But Amazon, most likely, is just getting started. An analyst has predicted that Amazon will buy Target in 2018.

I blame Mr. Rogers for my fascination with large quantities of everyday items being something to gawk over. Seeing how things are made, grown, or transported will always be cool. That’s why I think I’m completely devastated that an 18-wheel semi-truck filled with 40,000 pounds of avocados went up in flames last week on I-35 in Texas. Man, that’s just vegeterrible! Avocadnooo!

Christmas is over, but that doesn’t mean Starbucks is going to stop celebrating with fancy new limited-time holiday drinks. (Also, you can still get the Christmas drinks if your Starbucks has the specialty syrups in stock.) Just in time for New Year’s Eve, Starbucks is introducing three brand new drinks for 2018, and they sound pretty amazing.

Starbucks’ limited-edition drinks can be torturous, because if you find one you really like, you know you can only get it for a short time. Starbucks will take this year’s holiday drinks off its menus in January and move on to other things, but if you’re lucky, it’s possible to continue getting them for a while afterwards. This year Starbucks celebrated the holidays with a special Toasted White Chocolate Mocha and the Chestnut Praline Chai Latte.

Recalls are always a little scary, as we purchase food in order to make warm, nourishing meals for our families. So when we get news of something simple like an apple being recalled for fears of listeria from a major grocer, then things get a little more intense. The good news is that all recalled apples have been removed from ALDI grocery stores in the following states: Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

The Costco food courts of the world have a ton of interesting menu items designed to make the rest of the world jealous. Costco in France has hot ham and cheese croissants and a Costco in Wales was spotted with cottage pie in the food court. But one of the most enviable dishes we’ve heard about is an al pastor pizza that’s been spotted a few times in Mexico. The pizza still does not seem to have made it to the U.S.

When most people hear the phrase “Christmas dinner,” they probably think of ham or goose, or maybe a turkey. Well this year Aldi has decided to upend those cozy traditions and go a little wild, and now the budget grocery chain is selling a prosecco-infused roasted chicken with edible gold leaf for the holidays. According to Good Housekeeping U.K., Aldi U.K. says its glittery, boozy bird will add “extra sparkle” to Christmas dinner.

Whoever is responsible for creating all the new Frappuccinos for Starbucks must be a mad genius. The Unicorn Frappuccino seemed like the weirdest beverage a person could imagine when it debuted this summer, but then Starbucks followed that with a Zombie Frappuccino for Halloween.

There are many great mysteries in this big, wild world of ours. For instance, why do people think it’s OK to wear socks and sandals at the same time, or who really killed JFK, and, my personal favorite, why can’t my husband hang up a hand towel in the bathroom? But none of those things captured the internet quite like Oreo’s latest mystery flavor. Did you get a chance to try it? Do you think you have it figured out?

There are very few beverages that make me want to shout from the rooftops about their existence. I don’t hop on the PSL train when the leaves start to turn color, but I do make an exception for the tastiest thing you can get in a carton from Trader Joe’s. And guess what? It’s back! Wait, what? What’s back you say? It’s the Chocolate Peppermint Almond Beverage from Trader Joe’s!

For the last 20 years, we’ve watched the same classic holiday commercial for M&Msmilk and cookies for Santa But what happens to Yellow, who’s simply standing there dumbfounded with a bowl of the candy-coated chocolates? We’ve never known. That is, until now. This week, the candy brand finally released a sequel to what’s arguably its most-watched ad of all time.

Butter connoisseurs speak in whispers about Diane St. Clair, the maker of arguably the best butter in America. She lives in Vermont, and the butter she produces there is said to top even butters from Normandy and Ireland. It’s rich and creamy, and it’s virtually impossible to get your hands on unless your name is Thomas Keller. Now her world-renowned, handcrafted butter will be available for sale for one day only, and it’s expected to sell out in no time.

Grocery store sushi is extremely convenient, and it’s way less expensive than sushi from a restaurant. Some grocery store sushi is even quite tasty, although in general everybody understands that the $10 plate of sushi from the grocery store is not going to be quite the same quality as the sushi you pay $30 for at your friendly neighborhood sushi restaurant.

In excellent news for the wine-drinkers of the world, Aldi has done it again. The discount grocery chain has a $7 bottle of Shiraz from Australia that has been named one of the best wines in the world, and it just beat a $375 bottle in competition. Aldi’s One Road Shiraz is a medium-bodied red with a flavor that’s described as “clean and fruit driven with no sign of wood. It retails for $6.99 in Australia, which is just about $5.35 in the U.S.

There is no denying that the three-pound, five-dollar rotisserie chicken from Costco is not only a time saver for quick weeknight meals, but also a great way to make your dollar stretch. I mean, one person can eat the same chicken for five straight days! But as you toss that rotisserie chicken into your cart, are you checking the ingredient label? Truth be told I haven’t been, but I might start — and here’s why. Last year the infamous Dr.

For the last few years, the folks over at Barilla have held a tasty competition where they see who can come up with the most innovative pasta design. As you might know, how a noodle or pasta shape is made can affect how it tastes, feels in your mouth, and holds onto sauce. Italian grandmas would be ecstatic if they only knew their handmade craft has been turned into something so, so cool. Want to see how it works?

The world is still coming down from the combined sugar rush of Halloween and Starbucks’ viral Zombie Frappuccino, but the coffee giant is ready to get the holiday season started. Starbucks just released two new holiday drinks — the Toasted White Chocolate Mocha and Chestnut Praline Chai Latte — and they both sound very exciting. The Toasted White Chocolate Mocha is made with a special new toasted white chocolate syrup, espresso, steamed milk, and whipped cream.

When I was 26 I set my wok on fire seasoning it (before I knew how to do it properly), but luckily my trusty fire extinguisher took care of things before it became really serious. That’s why the news that 38 million fire extinguishers are being recalled right now — models made over the last 44 years — is especially unnerving. There are recalls and then there are tell all the people recalls. This is the latter variety.

Costco is an excellent place to buy pumpkin pies and olive oil, but it’s probably not the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of romance. It should be, though, because Costco is very romantic. There’s lots of good food and diamond engagement rings, and the presence of all the sample stations means it’s basically a giant, free tapas bar. Now one Twitter user has made a case for why Costco is the ideal first date location, and he’s absolutely right.

If you regularly shop at Trader Joe’s, you might want to check your fridge when you get home. The FSIS is issuing an alert for the grocery store’s pre-made “Broccoli Slaw & Kale Salad with White Chicken Meat” for potential listeria contamination. It’s not an official recall, however, because the salad is technically past its “use by” date. If your household is anything like mine, however, those dates are often taken with a grain of salt.

At Starbucks, there are two types of people: those who stick to the menu and keep their orders super simple, and those who doctor up their drinks with all kinds of so-called “hacks.” These complicated orders no doubt drive baristas bonkers and hold up the line for coffee, but they’re also wildly unhealthy. Unless you’ve witnessed these orders first hand, it’s hard to imagine something as sinister as 20 pumps of pumpkin syrup in one cup.

I love spreading good news and cheer, especially to all you busy moms out there who make everything magical for everyone else during this frantic time of year. Today is the perfect day to do some table dancing because you can now get your hands on chocolate wine. Aldi added Rubis Chocolate Wine to their yearly wine advent calendar. This luscious wine is described as being, “velvety, smooth dark chocolate complemented by rich, puckering fruit and hints of dried fig.” Yes please.

When you’re in the kitchen, there are countless things that can go wrong. I’m not talking about burning toast or drying out a turkey roast à la the Griswolds. I mean full-fledged incidents like scorching your arm on the wire racks in your oven or slicing your hand open while cutting an avocado. That said, one of the last kitchen gadgets I’d expect to cause me harm is my cake server.

This just in from the front page of the Daily Prophet: Starbucks has made all of your wildest dreams come true with pumpkin juice. The best part? You don’t even have to go all the way to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to get one. Thank you, Starbucks. Thank you. If I had to explain the excitement behind drinking something that was merely written into a story, a beverage that only fictional characters have tasted, then it would just sound silly.

Every September it’s not the school supplies or apple picking adventures that mark the final return of fall — it’s the arrival of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte. Seriously, that sweet, baking-spiced brew is like a cozy cashmere sweater in a cup. And now the coffee chain is about to take your coveted PSL and take it to the next level. After debuting on the menu last year, pumpkin-flavored whipped cream is finally returning to Starbucks.

World Vegetarian Day falls on October 1, and this year Whole Foods Market is getting in on the fun. To celebrate, the high-end organic supermarket, which was recently acquired by Amazon, is going to retail organic bunches of kale for $1. And this offer won’t be limited to World Vegetarian Day — it’ll be valid from September 27 to October 3, while supplies last. Get your kale while it’s hot (and cheap), people!

How we grocery shop is changing, and Albertsons Companies — one of the largest grocery retailers in the United States — is trying to adapt. On Wednesday, the company (which owns the likes of Safeway, Kroger, Food Lion, Ralphs, and Winn-Dixie) announced its acquisition of the popular meal kit company Plated. While talks for the deal reportedly began months ago, Albertsons made the official announcement this week.

With the popularity of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, one would think the first day of fall (September 22) would be the day Starbucks brings the cult-favorite drink back to the menu. But the PSL made its debut earlier in the year, on September 5. To celebrate fall, Starbucks is launching two items in its brick-and-mortar stores that line up with the vibe and feel of the season, and we think you’re going to be very excited about both of them. The first is a Maple Pecan Latte.

Hurricane Irma left a lot in devastation: people were stranded and homes, businesses, and farms were destroyed. The latter leaves the future of produce especially vulnerable. Gene McAvoy, a specialist on vegetable farming at the University of Florida, told NPR that orange and grapefruit groves that were approaching harvest were impacted, as the storm left “50 or 60 percent of the fruit lying in water [or] on the ground.

You might want to change your plans for next Wednesday.

Fall has become synonymous with one particular squash-themed beverage: the Pumpkin Spice Latte. The Starbucks drink has spiked in popularity and each year fans eagerly wait to learn when the drink will make its debut. If you’ve been twiddling your thumbs waiting for your favorite coffee drink, then I have good news: Starbucks announced today that its fall menu has officially been released and it includes the Pumpkin Spice Latte, or PSL.

If you had any doubts about Amazon taking over the food and beverage industry, here’s even more evidence: You can now order wine on Amazon Prime and they will deliver it to your door in an hour. Yes, wine in one hour is now possible. Amazon’s Prime Now is a super-fast delivery service where you can buy anything from chapstick to clothing to toothpaste.

Amazon is a solid player in the grocery delivery service and, with its recent acquisition of Whole Foods, it is slated to become a major player in the brick-and-mortar supermarket scene too. Now the e-commerce giant may also be planning to tackle takeout. Motley Fool reports the company is testing ready-to-eat meals that don’t mandate refrigeration.

When it comes to delivering groceries to homes, Amazon has a firm understanding of what works and what doesn’t. But the e-commerce company is going to face some fierce competition: Discount supermarket Aldi is slated to partner with Instacart, a grocery delivery company that allows consumers to shop for groceries online and then have them delivered to their door in a matter of one to two hours.

It was only last week that Halo Top announced seven additional flavors to their roster. We were blessed with additions like “Pancake & Waffles” and “Rainbow Swirl.” Well, Halo Top has another pint up their sleeve, and I have a feeling you’re going to be very excited about this addition. Just in time for fall, the low-calorie ice cream brand is releasing a pumpkin pie flavor. Who needs a PSL from Starbucks when you can eat ice cream? No one, that’s who.

Do you hear that? That soft, but forceful whooshing sound? It’s the sound of summer coming to a close. You might be sitting beachside this weekend with a cold beverage, but Starbucks has other plans that involve cable-knit sweaters and cozy nights by the fire. It might only be the second week of August, but this week the coffee giant announced that two new Pumpkin Spice Latte products will be hitting grocery shelves near you.

Avocado-lovers received some bad news earlier this year — their favorite fruit was going to cost them more money as the market rate reached record highs. A Bloomberg report warned that a combination of growing demand and a smaller crop would make the price of avocado steeper than usual in 2017, and it did. At the time, the going rate for a box of avocados was double that of last year, reaching a 19-year high. Oof.

There are more men wandering grocery store aisles, reports a new survey from Men’s Health. The survey — which only questioned men (insert eye roll) — found that 84 percent of men are the main grocery shoppers in their households. That’s 19 percent higher than what was the case 10 years ago.

Coca-Cola announced a major change in its product lineup on Wednesday. It’s no-calorie drink, Coke Zero, will be swapped out with a new beverage — featuring a new recipe, new design, and new name — called Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. The drink will make its debut next month. According to the company, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is the “new and improved Coke Zero.” Fans of Coke Zero in the United States are furious, devastated, and grieving the loss of the drink.

Amazon is the Jack of all trades: It’s an online marketplace, has its own video and music streaming service, owns upscale organic retailer Whole Foods, and has a popular home assistant (Hi, Alexa!). Now the company is slowly dipping its toes into the meal kit market. As GrubStreet reports, Amazon has been selling meal kits since late June. It looks like they are currently being sold in a limited quantity and most likely to expand.

Ben & Jerry’s has a brand new ice cream flavor, and it’s big news for Phish Food fans. The Vermont-based ice cream company has made no apologies for its love of Phish over the years (rumor has it the company even gives employees the day off for local Phish shows) and even honored the band with its own ice cream flavor back in 1997.

In the last couple years the meal kit industry has exploded, and it’s not hard to figure out why. Trying to find the right recipe to fit your dietary needs, plus grocery shopping, and then prepping all the ingredients to actually make the dish takes time. Meal kits offer you back time in the kitchen, without having to order takeout (again) or going with another bowl of cold cereal. The only problem with meal kits, of course, is that they’re normally pretty expensive.

Online retailer Amazon announced earlier this month its plans to acquire Whole Foods, an upscale grocery chain with 460 physical stores, for $13.7 billion. Amazon is known for its use of technological innovation for behind-the-scenes efficiency, which raises a great question about what is in store for Whole Foods and its existing employees.

Last Friday, online retailer Amazon announced it is acquiring Whole Foods — the upscale grocery chain started in Austin, Texas, in 1980 that has over 460 brick-and-mortar stores in the United States, Britain, and Canada — for $13.7 billion. With Amazon being the world’s largest online retailer, the future of Whole Foods’ partnership with startup Instacart, which delivers goods to a consumer’s doorstep, remains unclear.

If you ever had any doubts about Amazon taking over the world, rest assured that it’s happening. Amazon is coming for your groceries. The company announced Friday morning that they agreed to buy Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, a massive deal that launches the e-commerce site straight into the supermarket business. It’s no secret that Whole Foods has been struggling in the past year.

Walmart is experimenting with making grocery shopping more efficient than ever for the consumer. The budget retailer has rolled out self-service kiosks — or giant 20-foot-by-80-foot vending machines — for all your grocery needs. While the concept already exists in the United Kingdom, the first U.S. testing location is the parking lot of a Walmart Supercenter in Warr Acres, Oklahoma.

This week the European grocery chain Lidl is launching nine new grocery stores in the United States (you can see the full list here). If you’ve been freaking out about the new chain finally coming to the U.S., then you’ll be even more excited to see the company’s leaflet with pricing and specials for the store’s grand opening on June 15. The store features in-house brands that can’t be found elsewhere, and have a cult following similar to Trader Joe’s goods.

American shoppers will soon be able to peruse the aisles of a popular European grocery chain called Lidl in nine different locations in the country.

Your iced coffee from Starbucks might just get a whole new makeover. Starbucks is currently experimenting with coffee ice cubes, which means your favorite summer beverage won’t be diluted after a few minutes in the sun. The new offering is coming to select franchises and it’s going to cost customers 80 cents more. But what people get in return may be well worth the extra money. The coffee ice cubes will not be made from leftover coffee.

Avocado-lovers need to brace their wallets, as prices of the healthy fruit are going to continue increasing. Bloomberg reports that a combination of growing demand and a smaller crop will keep the cost of avocados high this year. Right now, a 22-pound box of Hass avocados from Mexico cost $27.89. That’s double what it cost last year and the highest prices have been in the past 19 years. Part of the reason is growing demand.

Starbucks has plans to go from “grande” to “trenta” for their new upscale location on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The Seattle-based coffee company announced their plan to open an interactive 43,000-square-foot, four-story Roastery in the windy city. The location should be up and running by 2019.

If grocery chain Albertsons has its way, it’ll be adding a fancier supermarket to its roster: Whole Foods. According to the Financial Times, the private equity firm that owns Albertsons is looking to acquire the Austin-based upscale grocer, known for retailing organic and natural products. The Financial Times reports, citing anonymous sources, that Cerberus Capital Management is in discussions with bankers to place an offer on Whole Foods.

One of the best things to do when walking down the aisles of a wholesale retailer like Costco or Sam’s Club is to try all the samples. Oh, you want some cheese? Here you go! Oh, you’d like to try that new drink on sale? No problem! This offers consumers a risk-free way of trying new products without having to make a purchase they’ll potentially later regret. For the retailer, it introduces consumers to a new item they can buy, which can possibly increase sales.

Those who regularly shop at the grocery stores may have noticed a trend over the past few years: the prices are getting better and better. It’s not an illusion — chain supermarkets have been lowering their rates to keep up with the competitive times. USA Today reports the pricing scale is offering shoppers great bargains, but it’s taking the axe to grocery store’s profits.

Grocery stores are wonderful places for many of us who love food — places of solace, joy, adventure, and family. What they really aren’t is romantic. Until now. French grocery chain Intermarche has just figured out how to make even the most mundane chore during the weekday nostalgic, romantic, and downright beautiful with their sweet commercial (and to be honest, this is really more like a mini movie than a commercial).

The 14th of March is commonly known as Pi Day around the world — a holiday celebrating the mathematical constant Pi, which is approximately 3.14159 and has 6.4 billion known digits. Lucky for you, you don’t need to be a mathematician to take part in this special day. In fact, Pi Day is really just an excuse to have as much pie and pizza as you can possibly handle. Don’t have time to make your own sweet or savory pie? Whole Foods is here to help you out.

Grocery stores are the stuff of cults and obsessions — just ask anyone who has ever stepped foot inside of a Trader Joe’s. Our readers have shared their love for many a grocery store, including the big-hitters like Costco, Whole Foods, and Aldi, but there’s a new store coming to the United States that might just be the new favorite in town.

There’s a vegetable shortage in the U.K. that has Brits freaking out and buying a whole lot of seeds. After floods and storms in southern Europe destroyed crops, there’s a deficit for iceberg lettuce, broccoli, courgettes, eggplants, and vegetable of the moment, cabbage. The deficit has U.K. retailers rationing supplies across the country. Experts anticipate the shortage to last until April or May. Lettuce is especially vulnerable since it is sensitive to temperature.

Online shopping platform Amazon is working on its first physical convenience store and, according to reports, an automated grocery store could be next. The New York Post reports Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has toyed with the idea of a two-story grocery store equipped with a staff of robots and as little as three human staff members.

Whole Foods has always been a bit of a playground for food-lovers. Patrons are used to sushi made in front of them, artisanal water from all ends of the earth, and the option of reusable grocery bags. This new produce butcher feature, however, really puts things over the top for meal prep-lovers.

What will it take for people to consume more vegetables? Scientists are exploring this exact point in a very specific location: the aisles of grocery stores. Researchers at the University of Oxford are working with British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s to see if redesigning the store can nudge consumers to purchase more fruits and vegetables. One proposal is to place vegetarian alternatives to meat products on the same shelves.

If you live in the Bay Area and are a Trader Joe’s aficionado, your Saturday nights are about to become a whole lot greater. The Mercury News reports the second Trader Joe’s in the region (in Menlo Park) has been approved to maintain a wine and beer tasting area.

If you’re obsessed with Trader Joe’s, you’re in good company. Everything from the cult grocery chain’s cookie butter to its frozen section has devoted fans. That’s why it’s no surprise that this beloved grocery store gets its own float in the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA. Did you catch this year’s creation in the lineup? The float, which was themed “All Aboard!

Just when we thought the good people at Nabisco had reached the limits of innovation with Swedish Fish-flavored Oreos, they’ve surprised us once again. Oreo has teamed up with German chocolate brand Milka to concoct ingenious Oreo-filled milk chocolate bars. The crossover candy bars debuted in Europe last year in two varieties: “Milka Oreo Big Crunch Candy Bar” and “Milka Oreo Chocolate Candy Bar.

What’s your strategy for choosing the shortest line at the grocery store? Do you just go for length of the line? Do you try to decipher if anyone standing in line is actually together? Do you look to see how many baskets versus carts are in line? A new study by Christopher Mele for The New York Times suggests a new way to get through the line faster, and it’s not what you think. According to Mele, you should choose the shortest line where shoppers have the fullest carts.

For the last seven years, Trader Joe’s has asked customers to vote on their favorite products. From baked goods to beverages to produce, these are the things customers loved to buy from Trader Joe’s in 2015. Did your favorite product make the list? According to loyal customers of Trader Joe’s, the cookie butter is the overall fan favorite. It was also the number-one pick last year, so it’s interesting to see that this trend is still holding strong. Have you tried it yet?

I grew up in a world where putting powdered butter-like flavoring over broccoli was common, and eating curdled dairy by the spoonful was completely fine — but raw fish and cucumbers wrapped in rice was absolutely terrifying. Sushi has come a long way. While I can count on one hand the number of family members who’d eat even a simple California roll, I’m happy to say it’s become a norm in the grocery store.