NO WAFFLING
Stereotypes doom Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben
It’s a seismic change for an aunt and uncle who have been staples on American shelves for generations.
The Aunt Jemima brand of syrup and pancake mixes is being retired after 131 years, and Uncle Ben’s rice is getting a makeover, the companies that make the flavor favorites announced separately on Wednesday.
Both brands have been criiticized for decades for promoting racial sterotypes. Wednesday’s announcement came as the country deals with racial tension that erupted after the police in-custody killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in Minneapolis on May 25.
Quaker Oats, a PepsiCo subsidiary that makes Aunt Jemima, admitted the name and image are “based on a racial stereotype.”
“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,” Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, said in a press release.
“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.”
While Aunt Jemima’s appearance has evolved over the years, the brand was initially based off a song by a minstrel show performer called “Old Aunt Jemima.” According to the company’s website, the character was “brought to life” by Nancy Green, a formerly enslaved black woman.
She became the face of the breakfast product line in 1890. Aunt Jemima has since lost her kerchief as well as other stereotypical and racist symbols, but Kroepfl admitted Quaker’s best efforts to “update” the brand to be “appropriate and respectful” had failed.
“We are starting by removing the image and changing the name,” Kroepfl said.
She added that the company plans to donate at least $5 million over the next five years “to create meaningful, ongoing support and engagement in the black community.”
Quaker said the new packaging will begin to appear in the fall, and a new name for the foods will be announced at a later date.
Another syrup brand, Mrs. Butterworth’s, has begun a “review” of its brand and packaging.
“The Mrs. Butterworth’s brand, including its syrup packaging, is intended to evoke the images of a loving grandmother,” parent company Conagra Brands said in a statement. “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.”
Meanwhile, Uncle Ben’s parent company, Mars Inc ., announced it would“evolve” the brand away from the iconic photo of an African-American man bearing the epithet reserved for black people in the mid-20th century to avoid calling them “Mr.”
“As a global brand, we know we have a responsibility to take a stand in helping to put an end to racial bias and injustices,” the company said in a statement. “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.”
The current image has been in use since 1946, with the name and logo inspired by two black men — a Texas farmer named Uncle Ben who was known for growing high-quality rice, and the face on the box, “a beloved Chicago chef and waiter named Frank Brown,” the Uncle Ben’s website says.
Mars did not give a timetable or reveal what the new logo would look like.
“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,” Mars said. “We know to make the systemic change needed, it’s going to take a collective effort from all of us — individuals, communities and organizations of all sizes around the world.”