By Connor Hart
Mondelez International sued Aldi, alleging the discount grocer's private-label packaging "blatantly copies" the snacking company's products.
The Chicago company, which makes Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers, said in its complaint that Aldi's packaging is "likely to deceive and confuse consumers," both diluting the distinctiveness of Mondelez's products and threatening to harm the company's brands.
With its suit, filed Tuesday in the Northern District of Illinois, Mondelez is seeking monetary damages and a court order that would stop Aldi from selling products that infringe on its trademarks.
Aldi didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the filing, Mondelez displayed side-by-side photos of products including Aldi's Thin Wheat crackers, which are packaged in a yellow box akin to Mondelez's Wheat Thins. The company also compared Aldi's Peanut Butter Creme cookies with its Nutter Butters, both of which come in red slip packaging.
Mondelez said in the suit that it has contacted Aldi on numerous occasions, objecting to the grocer's use of "confusingly similar packaging" and "demanding that (the company) cease and desist its unlawful infringement."
Write to Connor Hart at connor.hart@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 30, 2025 12:36 ET (16:36 GMT)
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