Latest news with #Mondelez
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mondelez sues Aldi over packaging similarities
Mondelez International has filed a federal lawsuit against Aldi, alleging the supermarket chain's packaging for its store-brand cookies and crackers closely imitates Mondelez products such as Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins, and Oreos. The lawsuit, filed in Illinois, claims that Aldi's packaging is likely to confuse consumers and damage Mondelez's brand reputation. According to the court documents, Mondelez argues that Aldi's product packaging creates a high risk of consumer confusion. Examples cited include Aldi's Thin Wheat crackers, which are packaged in gold boxes resembling Mondelez's Wheat Thins, and Aldi's chocolate sandwich cookies that use blue packaging similar to Oreo's. Additionally, Aldi's Golden Round crackers come in red boxes akin to Mondelez's Ritz crackers. Mondelez asserts these similarities infringe on its trade dress rights, potentially causing irreparable harm. The lawsuit requests monetary damages and an injunction to prevent Aldi from selling products with packaging that allegedly infringes on Mondelez's trademarks. Mondelez also highlights previous communications with Aldi over the issue, noting that while Aldi discontinued or altered packaging on some items, other products remain unchanged. Aldi, a German-founded discount supermarket chain, is known for primarily selling own-label products at low prices. The chain operates over 2,500 stores across 39 states in the United States and has been expanding rapidly. Its business model often involves packaging that bears resemblance to well-known brands, a strategy that has previously resulted in legal disputes. In recent years, Aldi has faced similar lawsuits internationally. In Australia, Aldi was found to have infringed copyright over the packaging of Baby Bellies snack puffs, which featured a cartoon owl similar to the original product. In the UK, Aldi lost a court case brought by Thatchers Cider concerning lemon cider packaging design. The lawsuit names Aldi's U.S. branch, headquartered in Batavia, Illinois. Mondelez's legal action could influence packaging standards across the grocery industry, particularly among discount retailers that offer own-brand alternatives to popular snacks. Aldi has not publicly responded to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit. The case underscores ongoing tensions between major brand owners and discount retailers over intellectual property rights and consumer protection. Aldi's current chief operating officer, Atty McGrath, is set to become the company's US CEO on 1 September, a period that may bring increased focus on legal and branding challenges for the supermarket chain. "Mondelez sues Aldi over packaging similarities" was originally created and published by Packaging Gateway, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Cadbury owner's 'disrespect' to MPs over Russia demand
Leading MPs have accused Cadbury owner Mondelez of being 'too busy counting its profits' to respond to criticism over selling its chocolate in Russia. More than 70 MPs and peers accused the firm of 'funding Russia's war machine' by continuing to trade in the country. The group has called on Mondelez boss Dirk Van de Put to pull the company out of Russia. Alex Sobel, chairman of the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine, said failing to respond to MPs was a sign of 'disrespect' to Parliament. He added: 'Mondelez must exit Russia now or face the consequences of funding the Kremlin's war machine.' Tory MP Sir John Whittingdale, who sits on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said the firm was 'too busy' counting its profits in Russia to respond to MPs. A Mondelez spokesman said it had 'scaled down' its activities in the country.
New York Times
14 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Snack Maker Sues Aldi Grocery Chain Over Look-Alike Product Packaging
Wheat Thins or Thin Wheat? Nutter Butters or Peanut Butter Crème Filled Cookies? Nilla Wafers or Vanilla Wafers? They may sound the same, look similar and, to some, even taste the same. And that's exactly the issue for Mondelez International, a corporate giant behind the name-brand versions of many snacks. Mondelez, which is based in Chicago, filed a lawsuit last month in a federal court in Illinois against the U.S. branch of the German supermarket chain Aldi, which has its U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Ill., over what it says is Aldi's look-alike product packaging. The suit says that Aldi 'blatantly copies' Mondelez signature snacks in a way that is 'likely to deceive and confuse customers.' The lawsuit also claims that some of Aldi's packaging threatens to 'dilute the distinctive quality of Mondelez's unique product packaging' and 'irreparably harm Mondelez and its valuable brands.' Mondelez is seeking monetary damages and a court order preventing Aldi from selling products that Mondelez claims infringe on its trademarks. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cadbury shrinks size of Freddo chocolates while prices remain the same
Cadbury has shrunk the size of its Dairy Milk Freddo multipacks, while keeping the price the same. The confectionery company is responsible for a range of popular chocolates including Boost, Crunchie, Creme Eggs and the classic Dairy Milk. However, arguably one of the most popular Cadbury chocolates is its Dairy Milk Freddos. The price of Freddos has been a major talking point over the years. The popular chocolate used to be 10p, but recently it has risen in price and is now on sale in supermarkets for up to 40p (Sainsbury's). Now, Freddo multipacks have been hit by shrinkflation. Cadbury has shrunk the size of its Freddo (5x18g) and Caramel Freddo (5x19.5g) multipacks by 20%, according to The Grocer. These multipacks disappeared from Tesco stores in May and have recently been replaced by Freddo 4x18g and Freddo Caramel 4x19.5g multipacks. Despite the change in size, the price has remained the same at £1.40. The original 5-packs of Freddo chocolates are still available in some supermarkets, including Morrisons. (Image: Morrisons) Both the old and new versions of the Freddo multipacks are available at Morrisons (at the time of writing), on sale for £1.40. While Sainsbury's still has the original multipacks of five available, both for £1.40. A spokesman for Cadbury owner Mondelez International, speaking to The Grocer, confirmed the change to Freddo multipacks was made due to "significantly higher input costs". RECOMMENDED READING: Cadbury to release new chocolate bar shoppers say is like discontinued favourite 'Amazingly good' new Kinder chocolate bar spotted in meal deal section at Tesco Tesco joins Sainsbury's in making major change to self-service checkouts Sainsbury's shoppers 'won't buy anything' as major change rolled out in-store The spokesperson explained ingredients like cocoa and dairy cost "far more" than they have done in the past and energy and transport prices "remain high". They continued: "This means that our products continue to be much more expensive to make and while we have absorbed these costs where possible, we still face considerable challenges. 'As a result of this difficult environment, we have had to make the decision to slightly reduce the weight of our Cadbury Dairy Milk Freddo multipacks so that we can continue to provide consumers with the brands they love, without compromising on the great taste and quality they expect."
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Oreo maker Mondelez sues Aldi, alleging grocery chain copies its packaging to confuse customers
HighlightsMondelez International is suing Aldi supermarket chain for allegedly copying the packaging of its popular products like Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins, and Oreos. The lawsuit claims that Aldi's packaging is likely to confuse customers and seeks monetary damages as well as a court order to prevent Aldi from selling infringing products. Aldi has faced similar lawsuits in the past regarding packaging similarities, including a recent case in Australia and a ruling in the U.K. in favor of Thatchers cider company. Snack food maker Mondelez International is suing the Aldi supermarket chain, alleging the packaging for Aldi's store-brand cookies and crackers "blatantly copies" Mondelez products like Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins and Oreos. In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Illinois, Chicago-based Mondelez said Aldi's packaging was "likely to deceive and confuse customers" and threatened to irreparably harm Mondelez and its brands. The company is seeking monetary damages and a court order that would stop Aldi from selling products that infringe on its trademarks. Aldi didn't respond to messages seeking comment. The U.S. branch of Aldi, which is based in Batavia, Illinois, was named in the lawsuit. In the lawsuit, Mondelez displayed side-by-side photos of multiple products. Aldi's Thin Wheat crackers, for example, come in a gold box very similar to Mondelez's Wheat Thins. Aldi's chocolate sandwich cookies and Oreos both have blue packaging. The supermarket's Golden Round crackers and Mondelez's Ritz crackers are packaged in red boxes. Aldi, which was founded in Germany, keeps prices low by primarily selling products under its own labels. It's one of the fastest-growing grocery chains in the U.S., with more than 2,500 stores in 39 states. On Friday, the company announced that its current chief operating officer, Atty McGrath, would become Aldi's U.S. CEO on Sept. 1. The chain has faced lawsuits over its packaging before. Last year, an Australian court found that Aldi infringed on the copyright of Baby Bellies snack puffs for young children. In that case, Aldi's packaging featured a cartoon owl and similar colors to the name-brand packaging. Earlier this year, a U.K. appeals court ruled in favor of Thatchers, a cider company, which sued Aldi over design similarities in the packaging of its lemon cider. Mondelez said in its lawsuit that the company had contacted Aldi on numerous occasions about "confusingly similar packaging." Mondelez said Aldi discontinued or changed the packaging on some items but continued to sell others. The lawsuit also alleges that Aldi infringed on Mondalez's trade dress rights for the packaging of Nutter Butter and Nilla Wafers cookies, and its Premium cracker brand.
