A federal judge on Friday ruled that J.M. Smucker Co. can proceed with a lawsuit accusing Trader Joe’s of violating its trademark for the company’s Uncrustables frozen peanut butter and jelly product.
Smucker, with headquarters in Orrville, Ohio, filed a lawsuit against the grocery store chain last fall in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Fox News reported. The jelly giant wrote in its complaint that Trader Joe’s branded frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches’ round shape and pinched edges were too similar to Uncrustables, according to the news organization.
“Smucker does not take issue with others in the marketplace selling prepackaged, frozen, thaw-and-eat crustless sandwiches. But it cannot allow others to use Smucker’s valuable intellectual property to make such sales,” the lawsuit stated.
Smucker also alleged that the product sold by Trader Joe’s had packaging that too closely resembled the coloring of an Uncrustables box and featured a similar photograph of a sandwich with a bite taken out of one side of it, The Associated Press reported.
[ Smucker takes Trader Joe’s to court over PB&J sandwiches ]
“As a responsible trademark owner, we actively monitor the marketplace and enforce our federally registered trademarks to protect the distinctive Uncrustables sandwich design and round shape,” a representative for J.M. Smucker told ABC News in October 2025.
Attorneys for Trader Joe’s stated that the crimped sides of the sandwiches are necessary to prevent the peanut butter and jelly filling from squirting out of the sandwich, according to Fox News. They added that the sandwiches are “squircles” and not circular, describing the product as squarish shapes with rounded edges.
“Smucker reaches too far. Its sandwiches’ appearance and cartoon avatar are no Nike swoosh or McDonald’s golden arches,” Trader Joe’s said in a January court filing that sought to have the lawsuit dismissed, according to the news organization.
U.S. District Court Judge John Adams said that Smucker has marketed the Uncrustables brand for 20 years and said customers have come to associate the design trademarks with the brand. The judge also refused a request to move the case to California, where Trader Joe’s is based and its third-party supplier of its frozen sandwiches is also located, Fox News reported.
Smucker is seeking restitution from Trader Joe’s, according to the AP. The company also wants Trader Joe’s to be required to deliver all products and packaging to Smucker so they can be destroyed.