SEOUL: South Korean dessert brand Tokyo Berry is facing allegations that its products closely resemble Japan's popular confectionery brand Tokyo Banana, potentially misleading consumers into believing the two brands are connected.
Tokyo Banana is a banana-shaped sponge cake produced by Grapestone, a Japanese confectionery company.
The controversy began after consumers shared side-by-side comparisons of the two brands' packaging on social media, highlighting the similarities in their designs.
Tokyo Berry, a newly launched food and beverage brand in South Korea, has operated pop-up stores at major department stores, including Lotte and Shinsegae. Some locations attracted long queues of customers seeking to purchase the desserts.
A department store official told The Korea Herald on Friday that all future Tokyo Berry pop-up stores had been cancelled.
The brand promoted itself with phrases such as "capturing the flavours of seasonal fruits and the essence of Tokyo", which some consumers said contributed to the impression that Tokyo Berry was a Japanese brand.
After learning that Tokyo Berry was a Korean brand allegedly inspired by Tokyo Banana, some online users described the controversy as a "national embarrassment".
The backlash has also extended to the product's inner packaging. Some consumers have accused Tokyo Berry of copying the wrapping used by Hanjungsun, a premium Korean dessert brand that uses "hanji", or traditional Korean paper, to package its chapssaltteok, a rice cake filled with sweet fillings.
Amid growing criticism, Tokyo Berry hid its promotional Instagram posts and disabled comments as consumers raised concerns over the product's design.
Grapestone, the operator of Tokyo Banana, has reportedly begun reviewing the matter.
"We have shared the issue with the relevant department and are currently reviewing the details," the company was quoted as saying by local media.- Korea Herald/ANN
