Uncle Ben’s Changing Name To Ben’s Original After Criticism Of Racial Stereotyping

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Boxes of Uncle Ben Converted Rice on a store shelf. Mars, Incorporated announced on Wednesday that it is changing the name of the brand to Ben’s Original.





Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images



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Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images





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The rice brand Uncle Ben’s will retire the image of black man on its boxes that the brand has been using since the 1940s.





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Chesnot/Getty Images



Live Updates: Protests For Racial Justice
Aunt Jemima Will Change Name, Image As Brands Confront Racial Stereotypes

Quaker Foods and PepsiCo are expected to remove the image of Aunt Jemima from its packaging later this year.

«We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype, Kristin Kroepfl, chief marketing officer at Quaker Foods North America, said in a statement. «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 company that makes Cream of Wheat, which features the image of a smiling Black man in chefs attire, also announced this summer that it was «initiating an immediate review of the Cream of Wheat brand packaging.

«We understand there are concerns regarding the Chef image, and we are committed to evaluating our packaging and will proactively take steps to ensure that we and our brands do not inadvertently contribute to systemic racism, B&G Foods said in statement.

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