In a sign of the times spurred by the worldwide protests against racial injustices, police brutality against Blacks, and racial inequality, the Quaker Oats Co. is removing the image of Aunt Jemima from its packaging and changing the name of the brand.
The impending changes to the packaging without the Aunt Jemima image will start to appear throughout the fourth quarter of this year.
“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,” said Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer, Quaker Foods North America, in a written statement.
The Aunt Jemima brand will also donate a minimum of $5 million over the next five years to create meaningful, ongoing support and engagement within the Black community.
In addition, Ramon Laguarta, chairman and CEO of Quaker’s parent company, PepsiCo, has announced that the next step in PepsiCo’s journey for racial equality will more than $400 million in initiatives over five years to uplift Black communities and increase Black representation at PepsiCo.
