Makers Of Uncle Ben’s Rice, Mars, Unveils New Name!
The new name for the 70-year-old brand will now be called “Ben’s Original.”
Parent firm Mars Inc. unveiled the change Wednesday making them the latest company to drop a logo criticized as a racial stereotype. Packaging with the new name will hit stores next year.
Several companies have retired racial imagery from their branding in recent months! Quaker Oats announced in June that it would drop Aunt Jemimafrom syrup and pancake packages, responding to criticism that the character’s origins were based on the “mammy,” a black woman content to serve her white masters. Quaker said packages without the Aunt Jemima image will start to appear in stores by the end of the year, although the company has not revealed the new logo.
Eskimo Pie has also changed its name and marketing and the Washington NFL franchise dropped the “Redskins” name and Indian head logo amid pressure from sponsors including FedEx, Nike, Pepsi, and Bank of America.
