Pokimane may not have expected to receive backlash after announcing her new snack company Myna. However, the Twitch streamer landed in hot water after fans saw how much her new snack cost. Many also pointed out the similarity between the content creator’s new item and the already popular Toatzy Midnight Mini cookies sold at Costco. Moreover, some fans could not help but point out how a bag of the popular Chips Ahoy cookies cost way less than the gamer’s.
You can get your hands on the 27-year-old streamer’s Myna cookies from the company’s website. A pack of four costs you a whopping $28. In contrast, Midnight Mini cookies cost $7 per 4 oz bag.
If you buy eight packs of Pokimane’s selection together, you can get them for $56 with free shipping. The 12-pack option costs $84. You can also choose to become a Myna Snack Club member and get a discount with each cookie bag.
The website mentions that the cookies are gluten-free and contain vitamin D. However, as soon as Pokimane launched her new venture many spotted that her product allegedly had an identical ingredients list to that of Toatzy’s Midnight Mini cookies.
Many X (formerly known as Twitter) users deemed Pokimane’s latest venture a “scam.” Several users posted side-by-side comparisons of Toatzy’s and Myna’s calorie labels, showing they were identical.
Some even posted comparisons of the two brands’ ingredients, which also allegedly looked identical. Fans then began comparing the prices of the two products. This led to some deeming Pokimane’s new snack item as simply a “reskinned” or “rebranded” Toatzy cookie.
Twitter user Fear Buck pointed out how Toatzy’s Midnight Mini cookies cost $9.99 for a 400g pack, while the Twitch star’s Myna cookies cost $28 for 456g. Some even compared the gamer’s cookies’ prices to that of Chips Ahoy cookies.
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) November 13, 2023
Another user named Bhoo gave a full-length analysis of Pokimane’s Myna cookies controversy. The user called the pricing “abhorrent.” However, the Valorant streamer has released a statement in response to the backlash and comparison with Toatzy cookies.
Amid the mounting backlash, the Moroccan-Canadian streamer addressed the rebranding allegations. In their statement, both the gamer and her company emphasized that their product’s formulation is unique and exclusive to the brand.
They said the cookies were created with the same brand that makes Toatzy’s cookies – Creation Foods. In her statement, Pokimane didn’t name Toatzy, but explained that the brand being compared to hers was “one test batch” and later retired. She notes how she decided to refine an older version of the snack when starting her partnership with Creation Foods, adding vitamin D to the cookies.
She said it’s “entirely different” in terms of ingredient quality, ratios, sourcing, etc. The Twitch personality also noted how refining ingredients is a common practice in the food industry.
