Mrs. Butterworth Packaging Review Lights up Social Media

ConAgra Brands has announced the Mrs. Butterworth pancake syrup packaging will be reviewed, and [...]

By Stephen Andrew

ConAgra Brands has announced the Mrs. Butterworth pancake syrup packaging will be reviewed, and the news has social media all lit up. The NY Times reports that a "complete brand and package review" is being done by ConAgra. This comes in the wake of announced changes to the Aunt Jemima brand, and possible coming changes for the Uncle Ben's rice brand.

In a statement, ConAgra stated that Mrs. Butterworth was "intended to evoke the images of a loving grandmother," but added how it wants to 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."

There has been much debate over the race of the Mrs. Butterworth character, with Kevin D. Thomas, a professor of multicultural branding in the Race, Ethnic and Indigenous Studies Program at Marquette University, stating how the key issue is her physical shape, "which strongly resembles the mammy caricature" While she's been represented as an elderly white woman, mainly through vocal effect, "her physique and style of dress bear a striking resemblance to that of the mammy," he continued. Scroll down to see what people are saying about the brand review on Twitter.

​

prevnext

​

prevnext

​

prevnext

​

prevnext

​

prevnext

​

prevnext

​

prev
0comments
Start the Conversation

of