Quaker Oats company, which is owned by PepsiCo, is changing the name and marketing image of Aunt Jemima, with new packaging expected to hit shelves by the fourth quarter of 2020. The company will announce the new name at a later date.
“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,” said Kristin Kroepfl of Quaker Foods North America. “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.”
Just hours later, the owner of the Uncle Ben's rice says the brand will "evolve" in response to concerns about racial stereotyping. Caroline Sherman, a spokeswoman for parent company Mars, says the company is listening to the voices of consumers, especially in the black community, and recognizes that now is the right time to evolve the brand, including its visual identity.
Geechie Boy Mill, a family-owned operation in South Carolina that makes locally-grown and milled white grits, said it is “listening and revising our overall branding," though no decisions have been made. Geechie is a dialect spoken mainly by the descendants of African-American slaves who settled on the Ogeechee river in Georgia, according to Merriam-Webster.com. In a statement to The Associated Press, the company said possible revisions have been under consideration for some time and discussions have ramped back up given the current climate.
In April, Land O'Lakes announced that it would no longer use the Native American woman who had graced its packages of butter, cheese and other products since the late 1920s.
Mass demonstrations against police brutality and racial prejudice have raged for weeks across the country in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other black Americans. Activists and consumers are demanding that companies take a stand against racial injustice or face potential boycotts.
