Chicago Snack Company Sues Aldi Over Deceptive Packaging

Beloved grocery chain Aldi is being sued by a Chicago-based snack food maker, who is alleging that Aldi's store-brand snacks are deliberately designed to deceive customers by making them appear as their big-brand counterparts.

In a federal lawsuit filed last Tuesday in Illinois, Mondelez International said Aldi's packaging for their store-brand cookies and crackers were "likely to deceive and confuse customers." The packaging in question is for Aldi's "generic brand" cookies, wheat snacks, and chocolate sandwich cookies, which do look an awful lot like Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins, and Oreos, all products packaged by Mondelez.

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Mondelez International is seeking monetary damages and a court order that would stop Aldi from selling products they believe are infringing on their trademarks, per WGN. The U.S. branch of Aldi, based in Batavia, IL, was named in the lawsuit.

Mondelez went as far as to add side-by-side photos of multiple products in the lawsuit. For example, Aldi's Thin Wheat crackers are packaged in a gold box with a design and font similar to Mondelez's Wheat Thins. Aldi's chocolate sandwich cookies feature blue and white packaging that makes them appear an awful lot like Oreos.

See for yourself:

Many individuals took to social media to defend Aldi, as is common whenever the company faces the slightest bit of scrutiny. Aldi has been a friend to shoppers and families alike, as they pride themselves on selling reliably affordable products, such as a snacks, produce, dairy, and more. One of the fastest-growing grocery chains in the country, Aldi has 2,500 stores in 39 states.

Aldi also recently announced that their COO, Atty McGrath, would become the CEO of Aldi U.S. on September 1st, 2025, which could prompt even more growth across the country.

This isn't the first time Aldi has faced lawsuits over its packaging either. In 2024, an Australian court found that Aldi infringed on the copyright of Baby Bellies snack puffs. Aldi designed their brand of puffs with a cartoon owl and a color scheme similar to that of the Australian snack food.

In addition, a U.K. appeals court ruled in favor of a cider company, who sued Aldi over design similarities in the store's cider brand.

Mondelez added that they have contacted Aldi on this matter before. While Aldi has altered the packaging of some similarly designed items, they haven't done so for all of them. In my opinion, a lack of legal expertise on my side, I do see Mondelez emerging victorious in this matter.

Read more about Chicago-based Mondelez International suing Aldi on WGN's website.