Parent company Mars Inc. has revealed the new brand logo for its 70-year-old line of rice products.
Mars Inc unveiled the new logo on Wednesday.
The Mars company dropped the name of Uncle Ben’s rice brand earlier this year in an effort to “make meaningful changes across society.”
Mars became the latest “woke” corporation to drop a Black brand logo that they claim was stigmatized as a “racial stereotype” after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.
“As we listen to the voices of consumers, especially in the Black community, and to the voices of our Associates worldwide, we recognize that one way we can do this is by evolving the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity,’ spokeswoman Caroline Sherman said in a statement in June.
The company, which is owned by PepsiCo, acknowledged that a majority of Black people did not ask for the changes, and some are even resistant to the logo/brand changes.
Many accused corporations of intentionally using the civil unrest in the U.S. to remove the iconic images of Black people from their packaging.
“When you are making these changes, you are not going to please everyone, said Fiona Dawson, president for Mars Food, multiples and global customers. “But it’s about doing the right thing, not the easy thing.”
Quaker Oats announced in June that it would drop the iconic image of Aunt Jemima, who graced syrup and pancake mix packages for over a century.
Relatives of the original Aunt Jemima, whose image was used in the brand packaging for decades, objected to the company dropping her iconic image.
Quaker said packages without the Aunt Jemima image will begin appearing in stores by the end of the year. Quaker has not revealed its new packaging.
To take advantage of the growing lack of Black faces on major food brands, rap mogul Master P announced his new line of “Uncle P” food products featuring his face on the packaging.
“I’m grateful that I’m in a position to add some diversity in packaged foods,” the 50-year-old told CNN. “It’s not just about having the Uncle P products, but also having a good cause behind it. I’m happy that I can make a difference in my communities.”
Master P said he will donate a portion of profits to organizations that benefit inner city children and elderly in Black communities across the country.
