People Are Wondering How Aldi Isn't Being Sued Over Its Apparent Nutella Rip-Off
Aldi is known for many things, like being the most popular grocery store in the U.K., paying for shopping carts, and its many knockoff products. For example, there's an Aldi version of Frosted Flakes, macaroni and cheese that looks similar to Kraft Mac & Cheese, and "Burman" mayonnaise which is nearly identical to Best Foods mayonnaise.
Aldi has toed the line with copycat products in the past, but one item has sent Twitter into a tizzy, with one user commenting, "Genuinely how do Aldi not get sued every single day." The culprit that caused this consternation was a jar of Nutoka, Aldi's store-brand hazelnut chocolate spread that bares a strong resemblance to Nutella. Nutoka is available at Aldi's U.K. stores. The Aldi version of Nutella in the United States is called Berryhill hazelnut spread.
Nutella and Nutoka jars look almost the same: Both have white lids, red lettering, and a butter knife with a creamy swirl of the spread on it. Label-wise, the similarities are so striking that it's easy to see why some might think Aldi crossed a line. However, upon closer inspection, there might be enough differences between the two to keep Aldi out of legal hot water. Nutella's jar appears slightly wider and squatter, the Nutella label features a piece of bread with the spread on it, and the Nutoka label reads "chocolate hazelnut spread" in bold lettering, whereas the Nutella label does not.
Aldi has been sued for deceptive practices in the past
Aldi may have escaped the courtroom for now with Nutoka, the Nutella rip-off, but the low-cost grocery giant has been sued for deceptive practices in the past. In 2023, the Australian snack food company Little Bellies sued Aldi for copyright infringement over its line of children's fruit and vegetable snacks that have similar packaging (via Financial Review).
A woman in Illinois also filed a lawsuit against Aldi in 2023 that claims its store-brand oatmeal is supposed to contain around 30 servings per the packaging, when, according to the lawsuit, it actually only has around 26 servings (via Madison – St. Clair Record). According to Cision PR Newswire, in 2022, Aldi lost a motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit for marketing its salmon as sustainable when, as the lawsuit alleges, the fish were farmed and sourced using unsustainable methods.
As for Nutoka, it seems that Aldi might have a winning dupe on its hands. Blogger The Thrifty Island Girl did a taste test with her family and said they all thought the hazelnut flavor in Nutoka stood out above Nutella. Maverick Baking conducted a taste test on YouTube and preferred Nutoka over Nutella "without a shadow of a doubt." Maybe copying someone else's work can pay off sometimes.