Legal threat over ‘kettle’ crisp launch tniot srerer

An Irish crisp manufacturer is launching a gourmet potato chip brand in the UK, despite running into legal trouble over the brand name with American company Kettle Foods.

The new Swift & Swift chips will appear in selected independent stores within the next three to four days, and are due to be stocked by two major multiples from mid-February.

Borodale Foods, of County Galway, has been told it must change its packaging for its “Gourmet Cooked Kettle Chips”.

Kettle Foods, of Salem in Oregon, has forced the Irish to drop the word “Kettle”, which it has already registered as a trademark.

A company spokesman says: “We invested a substantial amount of money in building our brand name. If someone uses the word ‘Kettle’ they are trading on our goodwill.”

Anthony Swift, managing director of Borodale Foods says: “We believe that kettle is a word used by everyone, and we’re not going to let this case affect us commercially.”