Two major food brands featuring fictional Black characters are changing in the face of worldwide protests against racism.
Aunt Jemima, a pancake and syrup brand owned by The Quaker Oats Company, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, Inc., has announced it will remove the image of Aunt Jemima from its packaging and change the name of the brand.
“We recognize Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype. While work has been done over the years to update the brand in a manner intended to be appropriate and respectful, we realize those changes are not enough,” said Kristin Kroepfl, vice-president and chief marketing officer with Quaker Foods North America.
"We acknowledge the brand has not progressed enough to appropriately reflect the confidence, warmth and dignity that we would like it to stand for today.”
The company notes that products without the Aunt Jemima image will begin to appear throughout the fourth quarter of 2020. Soon after the first phase of packaging changes, a name change will be announced.
The Aunt Jemima brand has existed for more than 130 years and the company said that it has evolved over time.
Uncle Ben’s, a brand of Mars Inc. focused on rice, has announced it will evolve its brand and change its visual identity.
The company said that it understands it has a “responsibility to take a stand in helping to put an end to racial bias and injustices.”
After reflecting on the voices of consumers, especially those in the Black community, Mars Inc. said it recognizes that now is the right time to evolve the brand.
"We don’t yet know what the exact changes or timing will be, but we are evaluating all possibilities," the company stated in a release.
“Racism has no place in society. We stand in solidarity with the Black community, our Associates and our partners in the fight for social justice.”
Editor's Note: This is a compilation of two articles written by Elana Shepert of Vancouver is Awesome
