The 'Overly Sweet' Aldi Soup Reddit Says Is The Worst

Aldi is all about efficiency. From letting its cashiers sit so they scan faster to displaying products in their shipping boxes, the supermarket is constantly searching for new ways to save time and money. So, when someone posted on Reddit that Aldi's Specially Selected Hatch Chile Corn Chowder was "Possibly the worst soup I've ever had" and asked, "Why is it sweet????," this was perhaps another example of Aldi's efficiency innovations: Maybe the chain is trying to combine dinner and dessert.

We kid, but with each 1-cup serving of soup containing 8 grams of added sugars — that's 17% of your daily suggested allowance — it's not hard to guess why the flavor is overpowering. Most Reddit commenters agreed with the original poster. One drew a negative comparison with a different brand, writing, "The El Paso soups are edible, this one is a weird corn-ish overly sweet goop." Another person added that the soup was "way too sweet for me, yet way too spicy for my wife. And it was a weird syrupy consistency."

Other commenters shared creative ways to use up this soup. One used it as a dip with chips while another poured it over some cornbread and smothered it in cheese. One resourceful commenter provided some details on how they finished off their jar, writing, "I used it as the base of a casserole in lieu of a can of cream of chicken/mushroom and added diced chipotles in adobo to temper the sweetness."

Commenters in the Reddit thread pointed out that Aldi's Hatch Chili Corn Chowder isn't the only soup at the store that's too sweet. "I have been finding that with most of Aldi's soups — they are way too sweet," wrote one commenter. Others agreed that Aldi's soups have generally gone downhill, with some specifically calling out the jarred varieties sold under the store's Specially Selected private label. There is a basis for this critique: The brand's Tomato Parmesan Bisque Soup has 7 grams of added sugar per cup, and the Hearty Vegetable Soup has 10 added grams per cup.

Aldi's soups aren't alone in this, either. Many supermarket pasta sauces contain lots of added sugar, for example. Food companies add sugar to their products for multiple reasons. First and probably foremost, it's cheap. It helps preserve the food and lengthens its shelf life. Plus, it's a flavor enhancer with some addictive qualities. Sugar, along with sodium and fats, add to the perceived "crave-ability" of foods. When you combine a lot of sugar with a lot of fat and sodium, like these soups do, your appetite is triggered to want more.