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Nestle Renames Two Candies After Summer Of Rebranding Claims Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, Others

   DailyWire.com
A Nestle birds nest logo is displayed on a glass door ahead of a news conference announcing the company's full year results in Vevey, Switzerland, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018.
Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Nestle is following up on its commitment in June to rename candies the company said evoked “stereotypes or insensitive cultural depictions.”

Fox News reported that two candies, Red Skins and Chicos, will be renamed to Red Ripper and Cheekies, respectively. The candies are sold in Australia under the Allen’s brand, which is owned by Nestle.

“Nestlé has an unwavering commitment to upholding respect for our friends, neighbors and colleagues,” Chris O’Donnell, general manager of confectionery at Nestlé Australia and New Zealand, said in a statement. “We hope Australians will support the evolution of these two much-loved lollies – while the names are new, the lollies themselves remain unchanged.”

Packaging for the two products will look largely the same to ensure customers can still identify their favorite candies despite the new names.

Nestle announced it would review its 25,000 products for any signs of racially insensitive packaging back in June after several other manufacturers announced they would change their packaging. As The Daily Wire previously reported, Quaker Oats announced it would change the name of Aunt Jemima syrup due to it being based on a “racial stereotype.”

“As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers’ expectations. We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype. 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,” said Quaker Foods North America’s vice president and chief marketing officer Kristin Kroepfl. “We acknowledge the brand has not progressed enough to appropriately reflect the confidence, warmth and dignity that we would like it to stand for today. We are starting by removing the image and changing the name. We will continue the conversation by gathering diverse perspectives from both our organization and the Black community to further evolve the brand and make it one everyone can be proud to have in their pantry.”

Following Quaker’s announcement, B&G Foods, Inc., announced it would review its Cream of Wheat brand packaging, which contains an image of a black chef.

“B&G Foods, Inc. today announced that we are initiating an immediate review of the Cream of Wheat brand packaging,” the company said in a statement. “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.”

Mars Inc., also announced around the same time that it would rebrand Uncle Ben’s, which features an image of a black man in a tuxedo on its packaging. As The Daily Wire reported, the company’s website said the name was based on a famous Texas farmer known for his rice, while the image was of a waiter at the Chicago restaurant where the company’s founders came up with the idea.

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