(Reuters) – PepsiCo Inc (PEP.O) will change the name and brand image of its Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup, it said on Wednesday, dropping a mascot that has been criticized for a racist history.
The logo of the more than 130-year-old brand features an African American woman named after a character from 19th century minstrel shows. The offensive caricature is rooted in a stereotype of a friendly black woman working as a servant or nanny for a white family.
Separately, Mars Inc said it was evaluating possible changes to its Uncle Ben’s brand of packaged rice, which feature a white-haired African-American man named after a Texas rice farmer.
The brands had been called out on social media in recent days, amid widespread protests over racism in the United