B&G Foods to review Cream of Wheat brand amid debate on racial inequality

LONDON (Reuters) – B&G Foods is reviewing the packaging of its Cream of Wheat porridge, becoming the fourth brand with an African American mascot to take the step amid a national debate over racial inequality in the United States.

The U.S. brand, featuring a black man in a chef’s hat, made the announcement after news that PepsiCo was dropping the name and image of Aunt Jemima on its pancake mix and syrup.

“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,” B&G said in a statement late on Wednesday.

Other brands under review are Uncle Ben’s rice, owned by Mars Inc, and Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup, owned by ConAgra .

(Reporting by Martinne Geller; Editing by Mark Potter)