Smucker Sues Trader Joe’s Over Uncrustables ‘Copycat’

This week’s sizzling new authorized drama might be discovered within the frozen meals aisle.

Packaged meals big JM Smucker filed a lawsuit Monday with the US District Courtroom of Northern Ohio alleging that grocery chain Dealer Joe’s has unfairly infringed on its rights with a crustless peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Dealer Joe’s “launched an apparent copycat” of Smucker’s Uncrustables, Smucker legal professionals say within the filings. They spotlight the similarities between the 2 merchandise’ crimped edges and a selected shade of blue within the packaging that Smucker has trademarked in relation to those snacks.

Each merchandise are round ravioli-style sandwiches which can be individually wrapped and frozen. Their design permits them to thaw for consuming a couple of hours after being pulled from the freezer.

“Our focus is solely on defending the distinctive trademarked design that represents the prime quality related to the Uncrustables model and stopping shopper confusion attributable to imitation,” a Smucker’s spokesperson mentioned in a press release to Enterprise Insider.

Dealer Joe’s didn’t reply to a request for remark.

In its submitting, Smucker says Uncrustables has grown to turn into an almost $1 billion model, with greater than 1.5 billion sandwiches made a yr throughout three US services.

Along with its favored standing amongst grade schoolers, the model is closely consumed by players within the Nationwide Soccer League.

A key component of the Smucker go well with is the obvious confusion amongst shoppers and on social media in regards to the origin of the Dealer Joe’s dupes.

“They’re most likely made in the identical manufacturing unit as precise Uncrustables,” one TikToker mentioned in a video reviewing the Dealer Joe’s product, which was cited within the lawsuit.

Tina Floyd, who was common supervisor of shopper meals for Smucker in 2020, advised Enterprise Insider on the time that the corporate spent a variety of time refining the Uncrustable recipe into one thing that might be mass-produced and frozen with out the standard struggling.

“Retailers thought we have been loopy. It took a variety of time to ensure product high quality was sustainable,” she mentioned.

In its lawsuit, Smucker is demanding that Dealer Joe’s ship all of its crustless sandwiches and advertising supplies to its services for disposal, in addition to “account for and pay over” all income the grocery chain has earned from the sale of the merchandise.