Mondelez sues Aldi over alleged copycat packaging in USA

USA – Global snack food giant Mondelez International has filed a federal lawsuit against discount supermarket chain Aldi, accusing the retailer of copying the packaging designs of several of its well-known products, including Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins, Ritz, Nutter Butter, and Nilla Wafers.

The suit, filed on May 27 in Illinois, claims that Aldi’s private-label packaging is “blatantly similar” to that of Mondelez products and is likely to confuse and deceive consumers, thereby causing irreparable damage to the Mondelez brand.

The Chicago-based snack maker is seeking financial damages and a court injunction to prevent Aldi from continuing to sell the allegedly infringing products.

Mondelez included side-by-side comparisons in the lawsuit to highlight the similarities. Aldi’s Thin Wheat crackers, for instance, are packaged in a gold box closely resembling Wheat Thins.

Similarly, Aldi’s chocolate sandwich cookies share the iconic blue packaging with Oreos, while its Golden Round crackers come in red boxes reminiscent of Ritz crackers.

Despite multiple warnings from Mondelez, the lawsuit claims that Aldi has continued to market several products with packaging that mimics the Mondelez aesthetic.

The suit also cites alleged trade dress infringements—a form of intellectual property protection that covers the visual appearance of packaging—on products like Nutter Butter, Nilla Wafers, and Premium crackers.

Aldi, which operates under a low-cost model by primarily selling private-label goods, has previously faced legal battles over similar issues.

In 2023, an Australian court ruled that Aldi infringed upon the copyright of Baby Bellies, a children’s snack brand, due to similar use of colors and cartoon imagery.

In early 2024, a UK appeals court sided with Thatchers Cider, which argued that Aldi’s lemon cider design was confusingly similar to its own.

Mondelez, which ranks No. 65 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America and No. 9 in the agriculture and food processing category, emphasized that Aldi’s lookalike packaging undermines the brand equity it has built over decades.

As of May 29, Aldi had not publicly responded to the lawsuit.

The case underscores ongoing tensions between national brands and discount retailers over intellectual property rights and the increasingly competitive landscape of private-label branding.

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