Uncrustables

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Uncrustables
TypeSealed crustless sandwich
Inception1995
ManufacturerThe J. M. Smucker Company
AvailableUnited States, Canada

Uncrustables is an American brand of sealed crustless sandwich. Owned and manufactured by The J. M. Smucker Company since 1998,[1] they are distributed in the United States and Canada.[2]

History

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The Uncrustables sandwich was developed in 1995 in Fargo, North Dakota by Len Kretchman and David Geske.[3] First named the Incredible Uncrustables,[1] a trademark was secured for the name, and after a year and a half, a patent was also secured for the sandwich. By the end of 1998, 50 employees working out of Fargo were making 35,000 sandwiches a day. The product was sold to schools in eight Midwestern states.[4]

Smucker's bought the brand in 1998 for $1 million,[5] changing the name to Uncrustables.[4] In October 2012, several shipments of Uncrustables sandwiches were recalled for containing peanut butter by Sunland Inc., a Smucker's supplier. Sunland had recently closed a plant after other companies using its products reported salmonella outbreaks. Smucker's tests its own products, and no illnesses were attributed to Uncrustables.[6]

Smucker's expanded distribution of Uncrustables sandwiches into Canada in 2022. Sales for Uncrustables in 2023 were $685 million.[2] The Athletic reported in October 2024 that the NFL consumed over 80,000 Uncrustables sandwiches in a year.[7]

Product

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Uncrustables are "pre-made peanut butter and jelly, pocket-like, circular sandwiches" made by The J. M. Smucker Company, according to the Associated Press.[6] The sandwiches are sold frozen and are meant to be defrosted and eaten at room temperature.[8]

Patents

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Patent number 6,004,596 was issued to Smucker's on December 21, 1999 for a "sealed crustless sandwich".[9] Since then, the Uncrustables brand has been involved in several high-profile patent and trademark disputes.[10][11][9][3]

Smucker's began an effort in 2001 to expand its patent to also include manufacturing methods. After the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the request, Smucker's appealed several times.[3] Its bid was rejected in 2005.[10]

Smucker's sent a cease and desist letter to Chubby Snacks for trademark infringement in 2020; Chubby Snacks changed the shape of its crimped sandwiches to clouds as a result.[1] In 2022, Smucker's sent a cease and desist letter to Gallant Tiger’s PB&J over its advertising of a round peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a bite out of it.[11] The claim was later dropped.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/food-cooking/uncrustables-smucker-pbj-snacks-9a95ff19
  2. ^ a b "How J.M. Smucker turned a humble school lunch staple into a powerhouse brand". Fast Company. March 19, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB111266108673297874
  4. ^ a b https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-feb-07-fi-patent7-story.html
  5. ^ "Smucker's nearly $1 billion PB&J business is anything but crusty". Quartz. April 22, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Smucker's Uncrustables sold to schools recalled". AP. October 19, 2012.
  7. ^ "Wait, NFL players eat how many Uncrustables?". The Athletic - The New York Times. October 24, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "The untold story of how Uncrustables became a nearly $1 billion brand. Yes, Uncrustables". Fast Company. April 10, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Can a Sandwich Be Intellectual Property?". Smithsonian Magazine. November 3, 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Appeals Court Rejects Patent For Smucker's 'Uncrustables'". The Wall Street Journal. April 11, 2005.
  11. ^ a b https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/12/20/smuckers-uncrustables-trademark/