Two leading bakeries in the Irish Republic have gone to court, with one accusing the other of deliberately copying its packaging and producing a ‘look-alike’ brown bread.

McCambridge told the Commercial Court in Dublin that the alleged action by Joseph Brennan Bakeries was causing “grave concern”.

Company chairman Michael McCambridge said its Irish Stone-Ground Wholewheat Bread, which had sales of more than €7.6m last year, was made with a unique recipe that had been in the McCambridge family for generations, and had distinctive packaging.

But Brennan Bakeries, he claimed, had copied the packaging and was marketing and selling a ‘look-alike’ product, called Wholewheat Stone-Ground Sliced Brown Bread, “intended to confuse consumers and people in the grocery trade”. It was a deliberate infringement of copyright, and he had taken the court action to stop it, he said.

He added the bakery had a history of “highly valuable” goodwill in relation to its packaging, which included the signature of company founder John McCambridge.

Brennan Bakeries denies the claims made, but has still to present its side of the dispute. The case has been adjourned until July.

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