Hydrox was the original kosher sandwich cookie for several generations of American Jews…until 1998, when Oreo, in a marketing move to increase sales, announced they were changing some ingredients, and were going kosher.

Hydrox disappeared for twelve years, but the cookie is making a comeback.

And accusing Oreo of (gasp!) sabotage:

Via Times of Israel.

You know what Oreos are….

What you might not know is that Oreos are just a copycat of Hydrox, a sandwich cookie first sold in 1908, four years before the first Oreos appeared on shelves. Even though (or maybe because?) they came second, Oreos came to dominate the market, becoming a fixture in America’s grocery stores.

But for most of the past century-plus, Hydrox has held on. And at least in part, that’s because of the Jews.

Until a glorious day in 1998, Hydrox was the premiere kosher sandwich cookie on the market, while Oreos remained…lacking a kosher…seal of approval….

Hydrox stopped production in 2003, giving Oreo a 12-year monopoly, give or take a 100th anniversary promotion by Hydrox’s then maker, Kellogg’s. A Pax Oreana, if you will. But in 2015, Hydrox, now part of Leaf Brands, sprang back like a phoenix, and has been trying to duke it out with Oreo, David and Goliath style.

And now, it’s taking that battle to the government.

Hydrox posted on Facebook that it has filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, accusing employees of Oreo’s parent company, Mondelez, of blocking Hydrox from view when it stocks Oreos on supermarket shelves. The Facebook post says Mondelez uses a system called “direct store distribution,” where employees of the brand, rather than supermarket attendants, stock the food. This allows the Oreo stockers to push Hydrox aside when they place Oreo boxes on the shelves.

Loyal Hydrox customers have sent in pictures of the cookies being boxed out by Oreos, moved behind other products or otherwise obscured from customers. Hydrox claims a major supermarket chain brought the problem up at a meeting….

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2 Comments | Leave a comment
  1. kristenm says:

    This reminds me of “Bitch Stole My Look” on Fashion Police.

  2. candace52 says:

    Hydrox cookies were the best! Part of my childhood.

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