After several months of reflection, the food giant Mars finally decided, Wednesday September 23, to replace the name and image of its famous rice brand Uncle Ben’s, accused of conveying stereotypes about African Americans.
The group had already recognized in June, after several weeks of massive demonstrations denouncing police violence and more broadly racism in the United States, ” that the time [était] come to develop the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual identity ”. But then he had not specified how he intended to do it.
Mars therefore chose to rename the brand Ben’s Original and abandon the image of a face of an elderly African-American, which could evoke the rice plantations exploited by slaves.
“We have listened to thousands of consumers, our own employees and other stakeholders around the world over the past few weeks., noted one of Mars officials, Fiona Dawson, quoted in the statement. We understand the inequalities associated with the name and face of the previous brand. “
The Aunt Jemima brand will no longer be used
Packages of rice with the new name and logo will hit stores in 2021.
The group also plans to fund programs to support black communities in Greenville, Mississippi, a southern state where Ben’s Original rice has been produced for more than 40 years.
Mars isn’t the only company to drop images or names deemed offensive. PepsiCo thus decided to no longer use the Aunt Jemima brand, represented by a black woman adorning maple syrup bottles and pancake mixes on American shelves for more than 130 years.
