A bottle of Aunt Jemima syrup sits on a counter, Wednesday, June 17, 2020 in White Plains, N.Y. Pepsico is changing the name and marketing image of its Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup, according to media reports. A spokeswoman for Pepsico-owned Quaker Oats Company told AdWeek that it recognized Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype and that the 131-year-old name and image would be replaced on products and advertising by the fourth quarter of 2020. (AP Photo/Donald King)
By Matt Ott
Updated 11:35 am ET
Quaker Oats is retiring the 131-year-old Aunt Jemima brand, saying the company recognizes the character's origins are "based on a racial stereotype."
Just hours later, the owner of the Uncle Ben's brand of rice says the brand will "evolve" in response to concerns about racial stereotyping.
Quaker, which is owned by PepsiCo, said it's overhauled pancake mix and syrup will hit shelves by the fourth quarter of 2020. The company will announce the new name at a later date.
"We recognize Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype," said Kristin Kroepfl of Quaker Foods North America. "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."
The Aunt Jemima image has evolved over the years to meet socially acceptable standards of the times, but the brand could not shake its history of racial stereotypes and connections to slavery. By 1989, Aunt Jemima had lost weight, abandoned her kerchief and looked more like a typical modern housewife. But the image and brand tweaks over the years were apparently not enough.
"The reputation of that brand, now more than 130 years old, was built on a racial and cultural stereotype that is widely regarded as offensive," said James O'Rourke, professor of management at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. "Brand managers have been aware of that for years and have tried, largely through incremental updates to the character's image on the packaging, to modernize how she is seen. The headscarf is gone, they've added a lace collar, pearl earrings. But the effect, because of the name, is the same."
PepsiCo also announced a five-year, $400 million initiative "to lift up black communities and increase black representation at PepsiCo."
Caroline Sherman, a spokeswoman for Mars, which owns Uncle Ben's, 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.
In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, activists and consumers have demanded that companies take a stand against racial injustice or lose their business. The singer Kirby posted a TikTok video called "How to Make a Non Racist Breakfast" explaining some of the backstory of the Aunt Jemima brand. That video went viral.
Land O'Lakes announced earlier this year 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.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
