My Food Bag says it has received a cease and desist letter from HelloFresh instructing it to stop using the word “hello” in marketing its weight loss product range, Fresh Start with Nadia. The range was launched in 2017. HelloFresh’s letter apparently threatened My Food Bag with the involvement of global law firm Bird & Bird as a next step should the demand not be met.

HelloFresh is the second-largest meal-kit provider in the United States, and is also present in Canada, Western Europe and Australia. It was valued at €1.7 billion at the time of its IPO in February.

In a humorously-written statement, My Food Bag asserted HelloFresh’s intellectual property rights don’t extend to common greetings. Founder and director Cecilia Robinson says My Food Bag was “bemused the multinational corporation took the time to write” and hopes the cost of postage from Germany didn’t break the bank.

“Who would’ve thought a simple ‘hello’ could get you in so much trouble? This is a word we have used in our communications with customers since we first launched My Food Bag in 2013 – surprising as that may be – and we will continue to do so,” says Robinson.

My Food Bag sent the below note to HelloFresh.
 

Kia ora Herr Griesel and Herr Ries,

Greetings from Aotearoa.

We don’t often get heavyweight German multinational corporations taking the time to write to us Kiwis. Ka pai. It’s pretty cool that you’ve heard of our awesome Fresh Start programme down here in NZ.

What’s not cool is you fellas trying to stop us saying ‘hello’ to our Fresh Start family. That’s just not the Kiwi way. In fact, we thought you guys must be pulling our leg?!  Down here in God’s Own, all of us have the right to say hello, kia ora or g’day. Just ask Winston.

It sounds like something is weighing on your mind, so we’re sending you our Hello Fresh Start pack, so you can kick start your health goals and say hello to a new you.

So in short we’ve decided “yeah, nah”, and we wish you fellas a good day. Otherwise our lawyers, Gumboot & Gumboot are always good for a yarn. They’re top drawer red bands.

Haere r?,

The My Food Bag Family.

This story first appeared at The Register.