Posted on 08/13/2018 11:54:32 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Like Coke and Pepsi, Oreo and Hydrox have been engaged in a century-long retail product feud. Released in 1908, four years before the first Oreo rolled off the factory lines, Hydrox has long had to contend with the perception they’re the knock-off. Oreo became the preferred chocolate-and-cream cookie snack, with most citing Nabisco (and now Mondelēz) as having the marketing muscle to smother their smaller competitor.
But according to a new Federal Trade Commission complaint filed by Hydrox, Oreo’s success isn’t strictly the result of deeper corporate pockets. Leaf Brands, the current owners of Hydrox, are alleging that Mondelēz is engaged in acts of store sabotage to keep Oreo the king of the cookie hill.
According to a story in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Leaf is arguing that their kosher-approved Hydrox isn't getting fair representation at the retail level. They claim Mondelēz sales representatives that do the stocking directly for stores rearrange product so that Hydrox are obscured or otherwise out of sight for consumers while Oreos are displayed prominently.
A Facebook post on the official Hydrox page confirms that the company has taken its allegation to the FTC in the hopes of getting Mondelēz to stop the delicious espionage. “We … have been very frustrated with the hiding of our cookies at major retailers [so] we finally filed an official complaint with the Federal Trade Commission last week in which we claim they have been trying to make it hard to find our cookies in stores nationally, in hopes of lowering sales volume and having us discontinued.”
The company goes on to state that Hydrox are stocked by store employees, not Hydrox representatives, and any cookie-shuffling on Mondelēz’s part is hard to correct. Leaf says they became aware of the problem when a major food buyer expressed reservations about carrying Hydrox, citing concerns that Mondelēz “will hide your cookies” in stores. The Facebook post is accompanied by several surveillance photos of Hydrox packages being obscured by other products or hanging shelf displays. In one instance, the cookie was buried under a cloak of Nutter Butters.
Gizmodo reached out to Mondelēz, which issued a statement saying that the company was “confident” the accusation “had no merit.”
This is NOT Mary Anne vs. Ginger.
Oreos, hands down. Despite their fag Oreos.
Hydrox was first, and Oreo went downhill when they moved manufacturing to Mexico.
Hey Lady... Don’t mess with my Oreos!!!
Shelf wars is the oldest trick in the supermarket marketing book.
I honest to goodness can’t tell the difference, when I was younger my parents use to purchase whatever happened to be on sale and I never even realized there were two different brands until one day I got two cookies out of a empty pack and a couple more out of a fresh pack and noticed one said “Hydrox” and one “Oreo”.
I had NO IDEA that Hydrox preceded oreo’s by 4 years! Hydrox sounds like some sort of water-based chemical compound or process. LOL!
Pin to Post #8.
Now you know why I’m so Happy, Happy, Happy all the time, LOL!
I don’t purchase Mexican made food of any kind
Growing up, we all reminded Mom to buy Hydrox, instead of Oreos, when she did the shopping — Hydrox were our favorites, by far! Yummy!
Hydrox tasted like manufactured oily goo.
Oreo USED TO BE awesome delisciousmess. Now it also tastes like manufactured oily goo.
There is probably negative nutritional value in eating them.
>>I don’t purchase Mexican made food of any kind<<
Which product is that?
I stock up on factory-packaged cheese and chorizo every time I go down there (6 - 8 times a year). We Gringos have NO idea how to make cheese.
Since Oreos are now offshored and declining in quality, perhaps Hydrox should just make a better cookie.
If they could make a chocolate sandwich cookie that actually contained chocolate and tasted like chocolate, they might be onto something.
I dislike oreos. The don’t work for me.
I love Hydrox. Wonderful cookies.
That explains your years of expensive Therapy, LOL!
I used to do that to my kids. I’d buy a box of the brand-name cereal, then continue to refill it with the store brand stuff. They still haven’t busted me on it! ;)
(A Mom needs to use ANY means possible to feed THREE TEENAGE BOYS on a limited food budget. And I did.)
I grew up in, ‘The People’s Republik of Milwaukeestan,’ and a local cookie factory would sell you a FULL paper grocery sack of slightly damaged cookies for a few bucks. Grandma used to send my Uncles and us Grandkids to buy them out. She made the BEST Ice Box Pies and Cheesecakes with the crust made from the smooshed cookies...plus, of course, we ate some of them on the way back home. Good Times. ;)
I had to stop buying Oreo years ago because the only way I would stop eating them was when the package was empty.
Maybe I should try Hydrox.
Food fight!
Or, “Junk Food Fight!”
HYDROX!!
HYDROX!!
HYDROX!!
The Bestest Most Goodest cookie EVER!
Besides, they’re kosher.
In all honestly, I can’t remember the last time I ate either, but I like to tease my Dental Tech with, “I wanted to make your job more challenging today, so I ate a bag of Oreos on the drive over.”
*SMIRK*
I’m glad she has a similar sense of humor; she’s never jabbed me with a sharp instrument...yet! :)
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