Mars will change Uncle Ben's logo after racial protests

Mars Corporation is preparing to change the logo of its Uncle Ben's, a brand of slow-cooking rice and related foods, according to Reuters. This decision is connected with nationwide protests over systemic racism.

Since 1946, the Uncle Ben's packaging logo has featured an African-American man wearing a bow tie, representing the image of "Uncle Ben". It is believed that the head waiter of one of the Chicago hotels Frank Brown became the prototype.

“We, as a global brand, have a responsibility to get rid of racial prejudice and injustice. And we understand that one way to do this is to develop the brand, including its visual identity, a Mars spokeswoman told Reuters.

A new image of "Uncle Ben" has not yet been created, the timing of implementation is also unknown, stressed at Mars. Changing the brand without affecting the essence is not easy in this case: the very nickname "uncle" carries offensive connotations (cf. "Uncle Tom's Cabin").

• Prior to this, PepsiCo Corporation announced a radical change (in fact, the closure) of the Aunt Jemima grocery brand. Its logo depicts an African-American woman, whose image is inspired by the popular song "Old Aunt Jemima" since the 19th century.

• Both Uncle Ben's and Aunt Jemima are among the "most racist" logos according to Business Insider, along with brands such as Eskimo Pie (Nestle) and Chiquita Banana.

We made the main business media of the country, now we are doing better - subscribe to The Bell email newsletter!