Quaker Oats announces Aunt Jemima rebranding
Quaker Oats announces Aunt Jemima rebranding, acknowledges that the face of the brand was 'based on a racial stereotype'.
Attention, shoppers: There are some big changes planned for your grocery aisles.
A number of well-known food brands have recently announced their intentions to change or review their names, logos and packaging — or all three — in response to criticism concerning racial stereotyping and insensitive cultural depictions.
Calls for these companies to rebrand the offending products aren’t entirely new. But following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd in police custody, as well as the subsequent protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, some of the world’s largest food and beverage companies have been forced to reexamine products with problematic pasts.
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Land O’Lakes
(iStock)
Earlier this year, and before the majority of the brands on this list announced plans to rebrand, Land O’ Lakes publicly unveiled a new design for its packaging that omitted the imagery of a Native American woman, named Mia, which had long been seen on its products. A press release touting the new packaging, however, made no specific mention of removing the woman’s depiction.
Aunt Jemima
In mid-June, Aunt Jemima became the first of several brands to rethink its packaging and marketing.
“We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype," said Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, which markets Aunt Jemima products. (Quaker Foods itself is wholly owned by PepsiCo.) “As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers’ expectations."
Quaker Foods North American further confirmed that the brand would be removing its image and changing its name in the near future.
“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,” Kroepfl said.
Uncle Ben’s
Mars Inc. has not announced a time frame for the evolution of its Uncle Ben’s brand. (iStock)
Mars Inc., which owns Uncle Ben’s, said it would be updating the “visual identity” of the brand, writing in a statement that the company has “a responsibility to take a stand in helping to put an end to racial bias and injustices.”
"As we listen to the voices of consumers, especially in the Black community, and to the voices of our Associates worldwide, we recognize that now is the right time to evolve the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity, which we will do.”
Mars Inc. has not announced a time frame for the evolution of its Uncle Ben’s brand.
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Mrs. Butterworth’s
Conagra Brands, which owns the Mrs. Butterworth's line of syrups and pancake mixes, recently announced “a complete brand and packaging review” of the breakfast line, but claimed its branding was only meant to “evoke the images of a loving grandmother.”
Despite this, Conagra Brands confirmed a review of the products.
“We stand in solidarity with our Black and Brown communities and we can see that our packaging may be interpreted in a way that is wholly inconsistent with our values,” read a statement from the company.
Cream of Wheat
B&G Foods, Inc., the makers of Cream of Wheat, released a statement acknowledging “concerns” over its logo, vowing to reevaluate the imagery.
"We understand there are concerns regarding the chef image, and we are committed to evaluating our packaging and will proactively take steps to ensure that we and our brands do not inadvertently contribute to systemic racism," the company wrote. "B&G Foods unequivocally stands against prejudice and injustice of any kind."
Eskimo Pie
Eskimo Pie, a brand of ice cream treats introduced in 1921, is changing its name and marketing, said a statement by the parent company, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, itself a U.S. subsidiary for Froneri.
“We are committed to being a part of the solution on racial equality, and recognize the term is derogatory,” said Elizabell Marquez, head of marketing for Dreyer’s. “This move is part of a larger review to ensure our company and brands reflect our people values.”
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Various Nestle candies
A spokesperson for Nestle explained that the conglomerate is reviewing all 25,000 items produced in the company’s portfolio of 2,000-plus brands, with an eye for "increased awareness around inappropriate brand names and visual language.”
Nestle is rebranding its Red Skins, Chicos and Beso de Negra (which in Spanish means "kiss from a black woman") sweets sold overseas, in an effort to eliminate racial stereotyping and insensitive depictions in its products.
A spokesperson for Nestle explained that the conglomerate is reviewing all 25,000 items produced in the company’s portfolio of 2,000-plus brands, with an eye for "increased awareness around inappropriate brand names and visual language.”
“As part of this process, we are immediately renaming and redesigning a handful of local brands we have found that use stereotypes or insensitive cultural depictions,” the company said. “This is the case for ‘Beso de Negra,' a confectionery brand sold in Colombia. We will also change the name of our Red Skins and Chicos lollies in Australia.”
Fox News’ Janine Puhak and Alexandra Deabler, as well as the Associated Press, contributed to this report.
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