Nestlé follows Pepsi and Mars in reviewing racially-offensive branding
Nestlé will rename a number of its international confectionery labels as the global food giant goes through its 25,000 products to eliminate marketing that contains racial stereotypes.
Nestlé is reviewing all the products made by its more than 2,000 brands and will rename and redesign labels such as Beso de Negra and Australian sweet products Red Skins and Chicos.
Colombian label Beso de Negra translates as “kiss from a black woman”.
In Australia, Nestlé said Red Skins raspberry-flavoured candy and chocolate jelly Chicos will be “quickly” renamed.
Redskin is a pejorative term for Native Americans, while chico, which translates to “boy” in Spanish, can be offensive to those of Latin American descent.
“This decision acknowledges the need to ensure that nothing we do marginalises our friends, neighbours and colleagues,” Nestlé said in a statement.
“These names have overtones which are out of step with Nestlé’s values, which are rooted in respect,” the Swiss food giant said.
“While new names have not yet been finalised, we will move quickly to change these names,” Nestlé said.
An increasing number of consumer-goods companies are re-branding old trademarks following weeks of anti-racism protests in the US that spilled over to the rest of the world.
PepsiCo is changing the name of its Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup, while Mars is evaluating the Uncle Ben’s rice brand.
Dreyer’s, which Nestle recently transferred to its Froneri ice cream joint venture with PAI Partners, is also taking action on its Eskimo Pie business.
Mrs Butterworth’s syrup, owned by ConAgra Brands and Cream of Wheat porridge, owned by B&G Foods, have also said they would review their packaging.
Separately, Nestlé said it plans to further expand the three Swiss sites where it produces Nespresso capsules for consumers worldwide.
-Bloomberg and Reuters
