Aldi Australia temporarily pulls popular lamb mince amid supply disruption

Aldi Australia has temporarily removed Killarnee Lamb Mince 500g packs from some store shelves and its online catalogue because of a supply disruption, prompting customer complaints and questions about whether the product had been discontinued.

Shoppers flagged the absence in recent weeks on social media and on an Aldi Australia subreddit, where one user asked, "Did Aldi stop selling lamb mince? I've been to a couple of different stores and can no longer find the lamb mince." A person claiming to be an Aldi employee replied on the thread that the product had been off shelves for at least a month and that shelf space had been expanded for other items.

Aldi told reporters the disruption is temporary and the retailer is working to normalise availability as soon as possible. The chain's online listing for the Killarnee 500g lamb mince currently shows the item as "not available." Customers who regularly purchase lamb mince at Aldi said they were disappointed and that the gap had forced some to substitute beef mince for recipes such as gozleme, koftas and other lamb-based dishes.

Lamb mince remains available at other major supermarkets and independent butchers. In Sydney, both Woolworths and Coles list 500g packs of lamb mince at about $8.50, equating to roughly $17 per kilogram. Cannings Butchers general manager Matt Oltoumis said beef mince is usually the cheaper minced meat option, typically around $14 per kilogram, and advised shoppers to choose finely ground mince that is vibrant red in colour and shows minimal moisture accumulation in packaging.

The temporary absence at Aldi comes against a backdrop of changing meat-purchasing behaviour. Data from payment terminal firm Tyro showed average spend per butcher visit fell from $80 in 2024 to $47 in 2025, a shift retailers and suppliers say is affecting demand patterns across the sector.

Lamb mince is widely used in recipes calling for minced meat — from burgers and meatballs to shepherd's pie — and is the preferred mince for many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes, including moussaka, kibbeh and koftas. While Aldi works to restore supply of its 500g packs, shoppers can purchase lamb mince from other supermarkets and local butchers, industry sources said.

Aldi did not provide a timetable for when the Killarnee 500g lamb mince would return to all stores. The retailer's statement described the situation as a temporary supply issue and said staff were taking steps to normalise product availability across its network.