Aunt Jemima to Get New Name as PepsiCo Concedes ‘Racial Stereotype’

  • PepsiCo, Mars, Conagra pledge changes to racist tropes
  • Changes come amid nationwide protests for racial equality

Aunt Jemima syrup

Photographer: Paul Taggart/Bloomberg
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The Aunt Jemima brand will be phased out -- and Uncle Ben’s and Mrs. Butterworth’s could follow suit -- as nationwide protests prompt a sudden corporate reckoning on institutionalized racism.

PepsiCo Inc. plans to change the name of its Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup, acknowledging that the 131-year-old brand is rooted in racially problematic tropes. The company’s Quaker Oats unit will also remove the image of a Black woman from its packaging and marketing beginning in the fourth quarter, according to a statement.