The PepsiCo Inc. unit that sells Aunt Jemima products said it would retire the brand because of its origins in racist imagery of black people. Hours later, Mars Inc. said it would change its Uncle Ben’s brand and Conagra Brands Inc. said it was reviewing its Mrs. Butterworth’s bottle.
The owners of the supermarket staples, much like the owners of classic films like “Gone With the Wind” and popular police TV shows, are rethinking their products and marketing as the U.S. confronts racial disparities following the killing of George Floyd. More companies are commemorating Juneteenth, and Nascar has banned the Confederate battle flag at its events.
PepsiCo’s packaged-foods unit said Wednesday it would remove imagery of the black woman from the Aunt Jemima brand’s pancake mixes, syrups and other products, and change its name. The company didn’t disclose the new name but said packaging changes would appear throughout the fourth quarter.
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