The J.M. Smucker Company is suing Trader Joe’s in federal court, accusing the national grocery chain of infringing trademarks tied to its popular Uncrustables brand of frozen sandwiches.

The maker of Jif peanut butter and Smucker's jams and jellies is suing Trader Joe's, alleging the supermarket chain's crustless PB&J sandwiches infringe on the trademarks of its Uncrustables frozen sandwiches.

The J.M. Smucker Co. filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 13 in the Northern District of Ohio, seeking damages from Trader Joe's for alleged trademark infringement and deceptive trade practices.

"Consumers immediately recognize Smucker’s Uncrustables sandwiches by their unique design features, which are protected by several United States Trademark Registrations," the company alleges in the suit. "In an effort to trade off of Smucker’s valuable goodwill and Smucker’s substantial investment in the valuable intellectual property associated with Uncrustables sandwiches, Defendant Trader Joe’s Company has launched an obvious copycat."

Smuckers brought the thaw-and-eat sandwiches to market in 2000 after acquiring the brand in 1998 from founders Len Kretchman and David Geske, who began making them in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, in 1995 because their children wanted PB&J sandwiches with the crusts removed.

The entrepreneurs eventually began making them for local schools, reported The New York Times' The Athletic in October 2024. The snacks have become a hit with National Football League (NFL) players for their portability, according to the outlet.

What's the difference between Uncrustables and Trader Joe's crustless sandwiches?

Not much, the J.M. Smuckers Co. argues in its lawsuit. Smucker's alleges that Trader Joe's brought out its "round, crustless sandwich with a crimped edge" last year to "trade off the fame and recognition of" its Uncrustables, the suit says.

Trader Joe's describes its Crustless Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam Sandwiches on the chain's website as "salted peanut butter and bright strawberry jam are encased in a chewy white bread whose crusts have been crimped and removed, sealing the sweet & salty filling inside."

Trader Joe's did not respond to a request for comment when contacted Oct. 15 by USA TODAY.

Smucker's alleges in the lawsuit that Trader Joe's infringes on its trademarks for a "round pie-like shape with distinct peripheral undulated crimping" and its imagery of a Crustable "with a bite taken out of it showing filling on the inside to identify sandwich products."

Consumers have been "deceived into believing that Defendant’s product is in some way sponsored by, originates from or is affiliated with Smucker, when, in fact, it is not," the company alleges. This damages the nearly $1 billion Uncrustables brand, argues Smucker's, which states in its lawsuit that it produces about 1.5 billion Uncrustables annually.

Smucker's is seeking damages and profits from what it calls Trader Joe's "unlawful acts of trademark infringement." It also asks the court to prevent Trader Joe's from using imagery similar to Uncrustables and any other action likely "to cause confusion, mistake or deception" in regards to Smucker's products.

The company also asks the court to order Trader Joe's to hand over all materials involved with its crustless sandwiches, including the products themselves, containers, labels, packaging and wrappers, so they can be destroyed.

Contributing: Reuters

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trader Joe's sued by Smucker's over alleged Uncrustables 'copycats'

Reporting by Mike Snider, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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