The rice is still in the familiar orange package but it looks a little different and has a new name.
Mars Food recently announced its plans to rebrand its Uncle Ben’s rice from a product associated with racial stereotypes to Ben’s Original. The rebranding process included a shift in the packaging, replacing the image of a Black man with a new design adaptation designed by availing the services at www.printron.com/our-design-adaptation. The new packaging still carries the iconic Ben’s Original logo, till now.
Mars Food has announced the availability of its new rice packaging at retailers across the country. According to a news release, the packaging marks a significant step towards a more inclusive future, while still upholding the brand’s pledge to deliver the best rice to consumers. The company has rebranded the packaging of its Ben’s Original product line to ensure that everyone feels heard and welcome, and to offer access to healthy food choices. Global CMO and R&D Officer of Mars Food, Rafael Narvaez, shared this message during the announcement. For more information on the new packaging, please visit https://www.eliter-packaging.com which is behind this creative package design.
“That’s why we’ve committed to taking actions based on insights from thousands of consumers, as well as our own Associates, that are designed to enhance inclusion and equity in service of our new brand purpose to create meals, experiences and opportunities that offer everyone a seat at the table.”
“Today is a big moment for Ben’s Original,” said Denis Yarotsky, regional president, Mars Food North America. “Getting to this point on our brand evolution journey has been the result of our continuing commitment to listen to consumers, as well as the support and dedication of our Mars Food associates.
But it is just another marker on our journey. We recognize we have much more work to do as we bring our new brand purpose to life to offer everyone a seat at the table; we remain committed to delivering this ambition.”
The brand also created the Seat at the Table Fund to “create equal opportunities for people from those communities to pursue careers in the food industry so their ideas and voices can be appreciated by all.”
The fund is accepting applications from Black students for its first scholarship. The deadline to apply is June 30.
“The scholarship was developed in partnership with the National Urban League and United Negro College Fund and covers education-related expenses up to $25,000 per scholarship, per year, towards the completion of either a food science or culinary arts certificate, Associate or Bachelor’s degree.
The renewable, need-based scholarship is designed to reduce and help eliminate the disproportionate debt Black students face, as well as positively affect the pathway to employment and advancement within the food industry.”
Black high school seniors and those already enrolled in two- or four-year programs, as well as Black adults interested in specialized certifications in the food industry can apply.
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These companies, recording artists, etc that are bowing down to political correctness is such a brilliant display of stupidity. Uncle Ben’s Rice Cream of Wheat, Aunt Jemima, The Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum000changing names and product logos—it is all such bull. And let not the idiocy stop there, let’s rename schools, public buildings, streets—let’s tear down Confederate statues and monuments—and to make sure everybody understands, we will implement critical race theory into public education which isn’t raising IQ’s by leaps and bounds.
We have so many educational resources in this country to enable people to hav3e the facts, the truth, and learn the ability to think critically and objectively, but the educational system has become so overrun by Liberal and Communist propaganda that ignorance has replaced intelligence. It is sad to see so much of what I grew up with being blacklisted and eliminated. The intellects behind this movement are so blinded by their own willful stupidity that they do not realize the damage they are doing.
The intellects behind this movement are so blinded by their own willful stupidity that they do not realize the damage they are doing.
I do think that know EXACTLY what they are doing. falls right in with the Marxist propaganda .
Well, there’s yet another food, i will never buy again.. Not that i really bought much in the way of uncle ben’s rice before..
What I find particularly interesting about all of this is that while the left declares the right “racist”, the left has for years participated in erasure. Look at the “Old Indian Trail” in NJ. It used to be King Nummy Trail, the name of a Native chief in NJ. Likewise, you’ll notice the the faces of Aunt Jemima (Lillian Richard), Uncle Ben (Frank Brown) , and the Cream of Wheat guy (Frank L White) are actually face of successful black men and women. Remember their names, because their faces will soon not be seen again. They used the idea that “uncle” and “aunt” were pejoratives as an excuse. Wanna call it Ben’s Original? I don’t have a problem with this. What I do have a problem with is erasing people’s faces while you address imaginary injustices. Stop de-facing our culture.
https://www.mashed.com/251436/the-real-reason-uncle-bens-just-changed-its-name/
Who are the real racists here? Maybe what really offends the left is seeing blacks and Natives and Asians and women actually being productive and successful.
“The new packaging is the brand’s next step in its ambition to create a more inclusive future Ben’s Original is not just a name and packaging change ,,,, we believe everyone deserves to feel welcome, heard and have access to nutritious food,” ????
So they EXCLUDE African American Uncle Ben along with other now uncredited Afro-American chef successes along with any serious display of real American history, to make people feel unwelcome to speak and reveal the past historical truth? The only ambition shown here is to cloud the vision of what America progressed out of, back into a progression of an emotional rewrite of American reality where great black American chefs, cooks, and food creators who lived in the past, cannot be recognized for their human worth. Social redistribution of the truth is indeed both a rotten recipe, and a strange brew indeed. The same chuckleheads would have us forget black George Washington Carver invented peanut butter, only because he was named after a great white American President! Their version of inclusion always excludes reality and the truth, i.e. scholarships offered on the basis of race is the very act of Racism, where our founders truths that set men free become what gets boiled in the bag.
Come on now, it’s just history repeating itself. If I remember correctly, the last time this happened was in the 1930’s, but not in our country…
Have you ever wondered why the modern day Negro hate themselves so much, that they can’t stand for a Black man or woman to be honored with something named after them?
Many of these Negroes have been supported for generations from the cradle to the grave by taxpayers money and they still whine about not getting more free stuff.
Judge not by the color of one’s skin, but by the content of their character.
You act like a racist negro, I will treat you like a racist negro.
You act like a civilized person, I will treat you like a like a civilized person.
SO true. THe # of times i’ve heard from those who are black, that it was their FELLOW BLACKS that tried to sabotauge their chances of college, or going on to good jobs etc, or who bad mouthed them for GETTING those good jobs, is a HELL Of a lot more than the instances of it being WHITES who bad mouthed them
They are literally like crabs in a proverbial barrel, who CANNOT STOMACH One other crab trying to claw its way out, they all have to get on his back and PULL HIM BACK DOWN>
The beauty of “inclusiveness” and everything is “racist”. The “inclusiveness” of “diversity”, is to exclude white people and as a result it excludes the diversity that the woke culture claims to be for. Secondly, the lefts “inclusiveness” excludes those that deserve a position through merit, competence, education etc.
Reminds me of the time my daughter and her best friend attended a “diversity” weekend at a college. Her best friend is black. My daughter was the only non-black at this “diversity” event.
AND why is it, only WHITE majority nations, ever get told/BASHED “You are not Diverse enough”.??
WE never see it told to majority asian nations.
We never see it told to BLACK majority nations.
and so on.
What next—Roy Rogers’s horse will now have to be re-named as “TRE-GRO”?
This is your uncle. Wink wink, know what I mean?
I am so over this stuff.
Good ole Uncle Ben is gone from my pantry. Surprised they still produce “white” rice. Will be using Minute Rice from now on until someone decides that the use of the term “minute” isn’t inclusive enough because it ignores the hours and seconds
I just get kroger brand generic rice. works for me
Uncle Ben, Aunt Jemima, and the Land-O-Lakes Indian maiden have been written out mind to mollify the misguided notion that all such representations are stereotypes, demeaning, racist, etc. No such campain has been mounted against Ettore Boiardi or Marie Callender as white or Italian. It has also been puzzling that team names and mascots are chosen to demean what they represent, usually one would chose something or someone they respect, admire, or has good qualities to be displayed. The presence of these persons is a positive representation. Perhaps this movement is the opposite of what it claims, manipulating the removal of them will enhance the notion they were being used thus the claims of racism, stereotypes is confirmed in the minds and more radical ideas can be encouraged.
How sad that they have denied yet one more black person’s achievement. Uncle Ben’s rice is the best on the market, but by taking off the black man’s image, it’s just another product. There really was an Aunt Jemima, and she became a multi-millionaire, but now her claim to fame will be forgotten just like Uncle Ben’s. SURELY THIS OMISSION IS A FORM OF RACISM????? Well, I think they’ve lost my business now because of their stupid “wokism”. Maybe they’re hoping that now every black person will buy their product? I don’t think that will happen, because now there’s nothing to distinguish it from all the other brands.
I think Mars Foods should go the extra mile and tint the rice a nice brown and name it Not White Rice since brown rice is already taken. That should really boost sales in the POC community, don’cha think?
Hell, how many blacks, by a percentage of their population (compared to whites, asians or latinos), even COOK with rice to begin with??? 10%? 20%??
Hell, how many blacks, by a percentage of their population (compared to whites, asians or latinos), even COOK with rice to begin with??? 10%? 20%??
Man, that’s ignorant.
How is it being ignorant? IF barely 10% of your customer base is of demographic X, WHY THE HELL Should you do something to just CATER TO THEM< rather than the 90% of the others?