Clean Inspection, as Aldi Wraps One Year in Town

Say what you will about Aldi grocery store and its shopping cart rental and no-credit-card policies, but so far the company is running a clean shop in Lake Grove.

The state's Department of Agriculture and Markets only found four general deficiencies in its May 2012 visit of the store, issues deemed not to be a health risk to locals.

Aldi's in Lake Grove, owned by Trader Joe's parent Albrecht Discount, was cited for issues with its doors staying open to long, some spilled sugar under a pallet in the storage area and for storing a package of baby carrots in an unrefridgerated produce area.

That's pretty low compared to other markets in the area.

According to their most recent inspection records, Costco in Nesconset was cited for 19 violations, including cracked flooring, overloaded shelves and a dirty chicken rotisserie area. Stop & Shop in Smithtown and King Kullen in St. James both had 18 general violations.

In the Three Village area, King Kullen-owned Wild By Nature had the most general violations in town with 19, citing dust, soiled surfaces, lack of thermometers in certain areas and an improperly hung strip of fly paper.

But despite Aldi's clean inspection record, we're wondering if a year in town has made it anybody's go-to choice for groceries.

Let us know in the comments.