Joel Rampoldt heads the U.S. division of one of the world's largest grocery chains, but on a recent visit to one of Lidl's more than 185 stateside stores, he was intensely focused on the order of the ingredients in a jar of private label hazelnut spread.

Rampoldt, CEO of Lidl US, was particularly pleased that the product had a greater percentage of hazelnuts than Nutella, a name brand counterpart on display close to it. He pointed out that Lidl's alternative was also less expensive.

"Hazelnuts are the second ingredient [in Lidl's version of the spread], so it's a higher proportion," Rampoldt said. "It's a very small thing. But it's just one very small proof point on just how good that product is."

Specifics about the composition of individual products on Lidl's shelves are the kinds o

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