B&G Foods reviewing Cream of Wheat mascot
B&G Foods Inc. in Parsippany initiated an immediate review of the Cream of Wheat brand packaging Thursday in response to a global conversation, including weeks of worldwide protests, against systematic racism spurred by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis who was killed by a police officer on May 25.
“We understand there are concerns regarding the Chef image, and we are committed to evaluating our packaging and will proactively take steps to ensure that we and our brands do not inadvertently contribute to systemic racism,” the company said. “B&G Foods unequivocally stands against prejudice and injustice of any kind.”
B&G isn’t the first brand to consider or execute a review of its packaging in the name of challenging systematic racism. Quaker Oats Co. announced last week it would rebrand and rename its Aunt Jemima breakfast syrup, a few weeks after Land O’ Lakes quietly removed the likeness of a Native American woman from its box.
“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 Quaker Foods North America Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Kristin Kroepfl in a prepared statement. “We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype. While work has been done over the years to update the brand in a manner intended to be appropriate and respectful, we realize those changes are not enough.”
Cream of Wheat’s original mascot launched with the brand in the 1890s. It was a chef named Rastus, who portrayed as a dim-witted former slave with broken English. The current mascot is based on Chicago chef Frank White according to the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. The brand began to use him on their packaging in 1901, yet never publicly credited him. He died in 1938 and his grave was reportedly left unmarked until 2007.
“Especially when you talk about brands that have perpetuated systemic racism with their marketing, it’s a day of reckoning. Consumers are requiring to know that the brands they use have values that align with their own. That’s the reason why brands are in the conversation and that’s the main reason brands have to review their icons, imagery, and campaigns.”
Such reviews aren’t just to show responsibility and accountability for the sins of the past, Gabor noted, but also to demonstrate their values to their consumers because consumers ere requiring it.
Consumers expect the brands they patronize “show regard for humanity, apologize for what you did, take responsibility, communicate in active voice, let the world know that you’re responsible, and apologize. Even if you just know the first step [of your plan to address it], communicate that and let them know how to hold you accountable. Communicate a road map: here are the steps were going take to right a wrong, and if we can’t, to show contrition for that. And here’s how we’ll prevent this from ever happening again,” she said.
Gabor noted common brand messaging at the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak as an example of what not to do, messages of “we’re all in this together, now buy our product.” They just didn’t know what to say, she said. But addressing systematic racism is even greater a crisis for brands than COVID-19, she said, as “brands want to show up on the right side of history.”