Company behind Mrs. Butterworth’s now doing ‘complete brand and packaging review’

Conagra Brands Inc. announced this week that it is launching a “complete brand and packaging review” on its Mrs. Butterworth’s products, while also acknowledging it can understand how its “packaging may be interpreted in a way” that is not consistent with its values.

“The Mrs. Butterworth’s brand, including its syrup packaging, is intended to evoke the images of a loving grandmother. We stand in solidarity with our Black and Brown communities and we can see that our packaging may be interpreted in a way that is wholly inconsistent with our values,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We understand that our actions help play an important role in eliminating racial bias and as a result, we have begun a complete brand and packaging review on Mrs. Butterworth’s,” the company continued.

In a world where the company said it’s “heartbreaking and unacceptable that racism and racial injustices exist,” Conagra Brands vowed to be “part of the solution” and work to “progress toward change.”

Conagra Brands, which also owns food brands like Banquet, Gardein and Marie Callender’s, is one of a growing list of companies that have announced plans to review or change its packaging of certain products in the past week due to racial concerns.

According to USA Today, while the race of Mrs. Butterworth, which has been on shelves for nearly 60 years, has not been confirmed, many have suspected her to be a black woman. 

People have also reportedly accused the brand of adopting racist imagery with the design of the bottle, which is made into shape of Mrs. Butterworth, that has been likened to that of the anti-black “mammy” caricature.

Quaker Oats announced earlier this week that it would also be changing its imaging and name for its Aunt Jemima brand after acknowledging its “origins are based on a racial stereotype.” 

The company behind the Uncle Ben’s products, Mars Inc., followed suit shortly after Quaker Oats on Wednesday and announced it would also be evolving its “visual brand identity” after listening to “the voices of consumers, especially in the Black community.”