Mrs. Butterworth’s & Cream of Wheat To Undergo A ‘Complete Brand And Packaging Review’ After Aunt Jemima & Uncle Ben’s Announcements
After Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s announced changes to their products due to racial bias concerns, Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup and the Cream of Wheat brand says it will now review its brand and packaging for the same reasons.
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Aunt Jemima, another popular syrup brand, was the first to make the big move on Wednesday. Uncle Ben’s, known for its rice products, announced their plans later in the day. Mrs. Butterworth’s followed up shortly after saying,
“The Mrs. Butterworth’s brand, including its syrup packaging, is intended to evoke the images of a loving grandmother,” the company said in a news release Wednesday. “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.” Conagra Brands said it has “begun a complete brand and packaging review on Mrs. Butterworth’s.”
According to a Thursday report by CNN, Cream of Wheat is now also reviewing its branding.
Cream of Wheat’s parent company, B&G Foods, issued a statement about their branding packaging, which features the image of a black cook widely believed to be based on Chicago chef Frank L. White, who died in 1938.
CNN notes that “Scholars say White’s image replaced Cream of Wheat’s original black mascot, Rastus, a racist caricature of black Americans that commonly appeared in blackface minstrel shows from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rastus was depicted as a dim-witted former slave who spoke broken English in early Cream of Wheat ads. Today, the name Rastus is regarded as a racial slur.”
B&G Foods explained to the news site:
“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.”
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