Consumer News–Week of March 28

Here is the supermarket news and coupon news that caught our eye this week:

-The New York Times covers the entry of Aldi into New York City.  Aldi plans to open 80 new US stores in both this year and 2012.  While another low priced store for groceries, Wal Mart, often faces protests when it wants to open a new store, the smaller Aldi stores have not had that problem.  Aldi is a owned by a German family (the Albrecht family) which also, through a family trust, owns the Trader Joe’s grocery stores.

-Houston Kroger stores are discontinuing double and triple coupons beginning April 13th.  For now, it appears that this change is just for the Houston Kroger stores.  Thye are also discontinuing the possibility of using both an electronic coupon and manufacturer coupon on the same product; this change may be more national in scope.  (Safeway stores disallowed that last year.)

-Food dyes will likely remain in foods, after an FDA advisory panel voted 11 to 3 that there was not enough evidence to link eight of the dyes to hyperactivity in children.  The FDA does not have to take the advice of the panel, but often does.  The panel does not rule out possible links, but asks for more study and results before recommending action.