Aunt Jemima And Uncle Ben’s Getting Rebranded

Quaker Oats announced yesterday that they will completely change both the logo and name of its Aunt Jemima brand syrup and pancake mix by this fall. The brand’s origin was inspired by the minstrel song “Old Aunt Jemima,” which was said to have been sung by slaves.  The logo, created in 1890, was based on a former slave, Nancy Green, described on the brand’s site as a “storyteller, cook, and missionary worker.

Mrs. Butterworth might also be getting a makeover according to Conagra Brands.  Some have associated the shape of the brand’s syrup bottles with the offensive “Mammy” racial caricature of stereotype for black women but the company says, “The Mrs. Butterworth’s brand, including its syrup packaging, is intended to evoke the images of a loving grandmother.”

Mars is doing something similar with their Uncle Ben’s brand of rice,  saying it plans to change the rice’s “brand identity,” which has long featured a photo of an African American man.

The name, which dates to 1946, comes from a black Texan rice grower, while the picture is of a “beloved Chicago chef and waiter named Frank Brown.” The company said it doesn’t “yet know what the exact changes and timing will be,” but it is “evaluating all possibilities.”

And now B&G Foods is now going to rebrand Cream of Wheat’s packaging that currently features the image of a black chef.  Early ads refer to the chef as “Rastus” which is a term now considered a slur.