Lidl and Aldi top last year’s recall league table

Discount supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl issued the highest number of product recalls in 2025, according to newly compiled data on food safety alerts.

Data analysis of Food Standards Agency (FSA) allergy alerts and recall notices by The Grocer found that the two retailers together were responsible for 13% of items removed from sale last year because of incorrect allergen information or contamination concerns.

The review showed Lidl withdrew 10 own-label products during the year. Eight of those recalls were linked to possible contamination issues.

Aldi issued eight recall notices in the same period, all connected to products that may have contained undeclared allergens or incorrect allergen labelling.

A spokesperson for Lidl said the retailer maintains strict due-diligence systems designed to oversee and control suppliers across its supply chain. These include regular, risk-based testing of products as well as supplier audits.

An Aldi spokesperson said customer safety was the discounter’s absolute priority and that it acted swiftly to recall products wherever there was a potential risk.

However, industry experts stress that recall totals alone do not necessarily mean a retailer has weaker safety standards, as businesses with stronger monitoring systems may detect issues more frequently.

“Higher recall numbers do not automatically indicate poorer food safety performance, in many cases they reflect improved detection, lower risk tolerance and faster corrective action,” noted Gill Dando, Technical Director at product recall specialist RQA Group.

The company added that 42% of all product recalls issued in 2025 were classed as “never events”, or easily avoidable errors such as putting the wrong label on a product.