The Aunt Jemima brand, which has graced syrup and other products for more than 130 years, is being retired. Chicago-based Quaker Oats Co., a unit of PepsiCo, announced Wednesday that it will first remove the image from its packaging, with plans to change the name at a later date. The company said it made the decision as it took a “hard look” at the brands in its portfolio. “We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype,” Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer, Quaker Foods North America, said in a news release. “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 death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis and the protests and unrest that followed has caused corporate America to take a look at itself and its workforces. Quaker Oats’ announcement comes a day after PepsiCo announced a more than $400 million set of initiatives to improve black communities and black representation at the company during the next five years. (AP)
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