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UNCLE Ben’s branding will be ditched from rice packets and renamed over claims of racial stereotyping.
The iconic family favourite will now be called Ben’s Original when the new packaging hits the shelves next year, parent firm Mars has announced.
It comes after the 70-year-old brand came under increased pressure to drop the logo following criticism in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Mars global president Fiona Dawson said: “We listened to our associates and our customers and the time is right to make meaningful changes across society.
“When you are making these changes, you are not going to please everyone. But it’s about doing the right thing, not the easy thing.”
Mars explained on its website that Uncle Ben is a fictional character whose name was first used in 1947 as a reference to an African American Texan male rice farmer.
When you are making these changes, you are not going to please everyone. But it’s about doing the right thing, not the easy thing
The image of the African American who has come to personify the brand “was a beloved Chicago chef and waiter named Frank Brown,” the company said.
But critics say the image of a white haired black man, sometimes with a bow tie, evokes servitude.
Ms Dawson said months of conversations with employees, customer studies and other stakeholders led the company to settle on Ben’s Original.
But the firm is still deciding on an image to accompany the new name, she added.
Mars founder Forrest E. Mars first acquired the rights to parboiled rice and branded it the Original Converted Brand Rice in 1942.
The name was then changed to Uncle Ben’s Original Converted Brand Rice in 1947 with the image of the Uncle Ben character on the packaging.
Uncle Ben is a fictional character whose name was first used as a reference to an African American Texan male rice farmer.
The image of the African American who came to personify the brand was later said to be a “beloved Chicago chef and waiter named Frank Brown.”
Other food giants have also been forced to rebrand with Quaker Oats announcing in June that it would drop Aunt Jemima from syrup and pancake packages, popular in the US.
The move was made in response to criticism that the character’s origins were based on the racial stereotype of the mammy, a black woman content to serve her white masters.
While in 2018, Jamie Oliver was accused of cultural appropriation after releasing his Punchy Jerk Rice onto the shelves.
Labour MP Dawn Butler suggested the celebrity chef was using the Jamaican cooking method to flog rice that was not authentic.
Butler tweeted: “#jamieoliver @jamieoliver #jerk I’m just wondering do you know what #Jamaican #jerk actually is?
“It’s not just a word you put before stuff to sell products. @levirootsmusic should do a masterclass. Your jerk Rice is not ok. This appropriation from Jamaica needs to stop.”
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SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
