10 downright ridiculous supermarket products
Some people absolutely hate grocery shopping. Not me. I genuinely see going to the supermarket as an outing. It’s the reason I still don’t order my groceries online. One lap around the store and I’ve once again come across the most unusual — downright ridiculous, you might say — products. Whole canned chicken (yuck!) and ready-made toasted sandwiches, for example. Who comes up with this stuff?! Well, we’ve found a few more gems.
And of course, opinions differ. That became clear with the bag of frozen sliced lemon wedges, one of the (in my opinion) strangest products at Albert Heijn. There was clearly a team saying ‘What is the point of this?!’ and a team saying ‘But I always have this in my freezer and find it super handy!’. But believe me… When you see the products below, you can’t help but raise at least one eyebrow slightly.
Robijn detergent for polka dots and stripes (€12.99)
If half your wardrobe consists of polka-dot and striped clothes, you need detergent, and you have too much money in the bank… Then, and perhaps only then, you might consider bringing this Robijn detergent for polka dots and stripes into your home. Otherwise, I can’t think of a single reason to buy this product. What’s wrong with washing your striped and polka-dot clothes with ‘normal’ detergent? One that’s simply suitable for coloured laundry? This seems like a textbook example of a marketing gimmick to me. Sorry, Robijn.
Chupa Chups drink (€0.79)
Suppose licking a lollipop makes you incredibly thirsty; then this is the perfect drink to have afterwards. It’s also the perfect drink for getting a hefty dentist’s bill. Everything about this packaging, and undoubtedly the drink itself too, screams: I’m going to completely wreck your teeth? No, you really shouldn’t want this. This is simply a ridiculous idea from Chupa-Chups. If you still can’t resist it: you’ll find it at Action (where you’ll find even more idiotic products).
Brabant-style snack mix (€2.99)
Lovely, a bowl of snack mix on the table. Brabant-style. Why exactly is this Brabant-style again? I see a mix of salty pretzels, some cocktail peanuts and rice crackers. No sausage rolls, Bossche bollen or anything else with even the slightest connection to Brabant. Is there also a North Holland-style snack mix? Or a Limburg-style one? Or a Frisian one? And what kind of savoury snacks and nuts would they contain? So many questions. Maybe Jumbo associates Brabant with conviviality, and thinks cocktail peanuts belong with that. I can understand that. In any case, I don’t think we’ll ever find out. What I do know is that this isn’t the only strange product from Jumbo.
Pasta for pasta salad (€3.09)
Here at the editorial office, we’re crazy about pasta salad. One of our favourites is this fresh pasta salad with salmon. In that respect, we’re all on the same page. What we don’t agree on is whether this pasta for pasta salad is downright ridiculous or not. Half the team can’t understand why you would cook special pasta for it. What’s wrong with ordinary penne or farfalle? The other half thinks this salad pasta from Grand’Italia is actually very tasty. Worth buying, then. What do you think?
Raspberry custard with no raspberries (from Aldi)
Packaging can be incredibly misleading. Either because the product inside bears no resemblance to the packaging, or because the product’s name suggests something that turns out not to be true at all. The latter is the case with this raspberry custard with no raspberries from Aldi. Because yes, it contains no raspberries. There’s nothing on the ingredients list that has anything to do with raspberries. No real raspberries, no raspberry juice and no raspberry concentrate. Nothing. Yes, the side does say ‘pasteurised custard with raspberry flavour’, from which you could infer that it’s custard with raspberry flavour. But the front says ‘raspberry custard’. And that might make you think it’s custard made from raspberries! Misleading on Aldi’s part, if you ask us.
Quaker Balans Original (€4.29)
Yes, you think as you pour this Quaker Balans granola into your bowl of yoghurt. I’m doing well! Finally, the balance I’ve been looking for all this time. Let’s not get carried away with all that balanced behaviour. Because this granola completely fools you with its ‘balance’ on the packaging. It says 65% less fat. But have you seen how much sugar it contains? 10 grams per 100 grams of granola! Do you see how unbalanced this product actually is? Simply ridiculous.
Toastie cheese (€2.49)
Cheese specially for your toasted sandwich. Because obviously you absolutely can’t make a toasted sandwich with regular cheese. As far as I’m concerned, this belongs in the same category as the pasta salad pasta.
Westland artisanal salad (€0.99)
This artisanal salad is, sorry to say, a joke. It says artisanal on the packaging. But this product is simply made in mass quantities, and have you seen how incredibly long the list of E-numbers and other additives is? ‘Artisanal’ is not a legally protected term for food and drink, but with so many additional additives, this factory-made product simply can’t be called artisanal in my opinion.
Tomato soup in a roll
I think this is a very unusual package for soup. You really have to work extremely carefully and with intense concentration if you want to prevent all the soup from splashing all over you when you open the package. The only thing I can imagine is that it’s convenient because this kind of packaging doesn’t take up much space in the freezer. Containers of soup can fill your freezer in no time. Other than that, I feel much more comfortable with soup in a can or bag.
Stir-fry pasta
This is stir-fry pasta where you still have to add the chicken, mushrooms and leek yourself. I hear you thinking: what’s actually in this packet? Seasoned pasta with a whole lot of additives. People, just cook your own pasta and make a little effort for a good sauce. You’ll enjoy homemade Bolognese sauce so much more. And otherwise, we also have some very good tips for sprucing up your ready-made pasta sauce. But just leave this junk at home.
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