Colgate, Cream of Wheat and Mrs Butterworth are the latest brands reckoning with racially charged logos.
The soul-searching comes in the wake of PepsiCo Inc’s announcement on Wednesday that it is renaming its Aunt Jemima syrup brand. Mars Inc says it is also reviewing its Uncle Ben’s rice brand.
Colgate-Palmolive Co, based in New York, on Thursday said it is working with its Chinese partner, Hawley & Hazel Chemical Co (好來化工), on changes to its Darlie brand toothpaste.
Photo: Reuters
The toothpaste, which is popular in Asia, was called Darkie when it was first introduced in the 1930s. Packages featured a drawing of a minstrel singer in blackface with a wide smile; a Hawey & Hazel executive came up with the logo after visiting the US and seeing Al Jolson perform.
The Chinese name on the box translated to “black man toothpaste.”
Colgate-Palmolive acquired a 50 percent stake in Hawley in 1985. In 1989, the name of the toothpaste was changed to Darlie and the logo was changed to a racially ambiguous figure in a top hat, but Colgate said the product is under further review.
“We are currently working with our partner to review and further evolve all aspects of the brand, including the brand name,” the company said in a statement.
B&G Foods Inc, which makes Cream of Wheat hot cereal, on Wednesday said it is initiating “an immediate review” of its packaging.
A smiling black chef holding a bowl of cereal has appeared on Cream of Wheat packaging and in ads since at least 1918, the company’s Web site says.
“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,” Parsippany, New Jersey-based B&G said in a statement.
Chicago-based Conagra Brands Inc, which makes Mrs Butterworth’s syrup, said its bottles — which are shaped like a matronly woman — are intended to evoke a “loving grandmother.”
The company said it can understand that the packaging could be misinterpreted. Critics have long claimed that the bottle’s design is rooted in the “mammy” stereotype.
“We understand that our actions help play an important role in eliminating racial bias and as a result, we have begun a complete brand and packaging review on Mrs Butterworth’s,” Conagra said in a statement.
The changes are the latest signal of the powerful cultural moment unleashed by the Black Lives Matter protests, which have spread around the world and prompted companies to rethink their policies and products.
On Thursday, Yelp announced it was partnering with My Black Receipt, a group that is encouraging people to spend US$5 million at black-owned businesses through July 4.
Yelp said it is adding a free search function for consumers to easily find businesses that identify themselves as black owned.
ISSUES: Gogoro has been struggling with ballooning losses and was recently embroiled in alleged subsidy fraud, using Chinese-made components instead of locally made parts Gogoro Inc (睿能創意), the nation’s biggest electric scooter maker, yesterday said that its chairman and CEO Horace Luke (陸學森) has resigned amid chronic losses and probes into the company’s alleged involvement in subsidy fraud. The board of directors nominated Reuntex Group (潤泰集團) general counsel Tamon Tseng (曾夢達) as the company’s new chairman, Gogoro said in a statement. Ruentex is Gogoro’s biggest stakeholder. Gogoro Taiwan general manager Henry Chiang (姜家煒) is to serve as acting CEO during the interim period, the statement said. Luke’s departure came as a bombshell yesterday. As a company founder, he has played a key role in pushing for the
China has claimed a breakthrough in developing homegrown chipmaking equipment, an important step in overcoming US sanctions designed to thwart Beijing’s semiconductor goals. State-linked organizations are advised to use a new laser-based immersion lithography machine with a resolution of 65 nanometers or better, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in an announcement this month. Although the note does not specify the supplier, the spec marks a significant step up from the previous most advanced indigenous equipment — developed by Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Group Co (SMEE, 上海微電子) — which stood at about 90 nanometers. MIIT’s claimed advances last
CROSS-STRAIT TENSIONS: The US company could switch orders from TSMC to alternative suppliers, but that would lower chip quality, CEO Jensen Huang said Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳), whose products have become the hottest commodity in the technology world, on Wednesday said that the scramble for a limited amount of supply has frustrated some customers and raised tensions. “The demand on it is so great, and everyone wants to be first and everyone wants to be most,” he told the audience at a Goldman Sachs Group Inc technology conference in San Francisco. “We probably have more emotional customers today. Deservedly so. It’s tense. We’re trying to do the best we can.” Huang’s company is experiencing strong demand for its latest generation of chips, called
GLOBAL ECONOMY: Policymakers have a choice of a small 25 basis-point cut or a bold cut of 50 basis points, which would help the labor market, but might reignite inflation The US Federal Reserve is gearing up to announce its first interest rate cut in more than four years on Wednesday, with policymakers expected to debate how big a move to make less than two months before the US presidential election. Senior officials at the US central bank including Fed Chairman Jerome Powell have in recent weeks indicated that a rate cut is coming this month, as inflation eases toward the bank’s long-term target of two percent, and the labor market continues to cool. The Fed, which has a dual mandate from the US Congress to act independently to ensure