Uncle Ben's has officially been renamed Ben's Original, following a move for the company to avoid racial stereotypes. According to the AP, Mars Inc. — the parent company for Ben's Original — revealed the new branding on Wednesday, which comes 70 years after it was first founded. Packaging with the new logo and name is likely to start hitting store shelves in 2021.
Global president for Mars Food, multi-sales and global customers, Fiona Dawson issued a statement on the changes and explained the company's position. "We listened to our associates and our customers and the time is right to make meaningful changes across society." She added, "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."
In June, following the Black Lives Matter protests that sparked from the death of George Floyd, a new light was shed on brands that utilize racial stereotypes and images in their packaging. This sparked Mars Inc. to recognize that it "was the right time to evolve" the Unlce's Ben's brand. The company stated that, as a global brand, "we know we have a responsibility to take a stand in helping to put an end to racial bias and injustices," per NBC News.
"Racism has no place in society. We stand in solidarity with the Black community, our Associates and our partners in the fight for social justice," Mars added. "We know to make the systemic change needed, it's going to take a collective effort from all of us — individuals, communities and organizations of all sizes around the world." Scroll down to read what social media users are saying about the new Ben's Original branding.