The product line was accused of promoting racial stereotypes.
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February 10, 2021 1 min read
The Aunt Jemima food product line changed its name to Pearl Milling Company according to a statement from the PepsiCo company, which owns the company.
This change after 100 years of history with Aunt Jemima was announced for the first time in June 2020 due to the original name and logo used by the figure of “Mami,” a black maid who was used in the plantations. southerners before the American Civil War.
The brand had come under fire on social media and called for a boycott in recent days, amid widespread anti-racism protests in the United States following George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis.
“We recognize that Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on racial stereotypes,” said Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and president of marketing for Quaker Foods North America in a statement last summer.
The Aunt Jemima brand was created in 1889 by Chris Rutt and Charles Underwood, two white men, to market their ready-made pancake flour.