Uncle Ben’s Rice Has New Name ‘Ben’s Original’ & Logo After Criticism Over Racial Imagery

September 23, 2020 by C.J. in Latest News with 0 Comments

Uncle Ben’s Rice Has New Name ‘Ben’s Original’ & Logo After Criticism Over Racial Imagery

Uncle Ben’s rice has now been rebranded months after the company vowed to move away from racial images.

Original Uncle Ben’s logo

The new name is Ben’s Original, and it also comes with a new logo.

Ben’s Original’s parent company, Mars Inc. rolled out the announcement Wednesday (Sept. 23rd).

Mars Food executive Fiona Dawson said in a statement:

“We listened to our associates and our customers and the time is right to make meaningful changes across society. When you are making these changes, you are not going to please everyone. But it’s about doing the right thing, not the easy thing.”

Ben’s Original is scheduled to hit shelves in 2021.

The makers of Uncle Ben’s vowed back in June that the rice would undergo rebranding.

Mars said in a statement back then:

“Now is the right time to evolve the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity, which we will do. We don’t yet know what the exact changes and timing will be, but we are evaluating all possibilities.”

Quaker Oats, the company behind Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup also said it would change the look of the products due to racial imagery. Quaker Oats announced on June 17 that the company recognizes that “Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype.”

The Aunt Jemima character was first manifested by Nancy Green, a Black woman who was formerly enslaved and became the face of the product in 1890.

The company is reportedly working to “update the brand to be appropriate and respectful.”