In with the new and out with the old. Uncle Ben's has officially announced a far-less problematic name and logo for their rice brand, unveiling the Ben's Original brand.
The name change was announced today by the brand's parent company Mars Inc., who announced back in June that they would be hunkering down to come up with a new name and logo. The new packaging will reportedly hit stores next year.
"We listened to our associates and our customers and the time is right to make meaningful changes across society," said Fiona Dawson, Mars' global president, about the change. "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."
The former name, Uncle Ben's, was based on a racial stereotype, which the logo backed. The new logo keeps the orange-and-blue color pattern but removes any racial markers, simply going with the new Ben's Original stamp.
The change was provoked following the murder of George Floyd, which kicked off a number of brand-related name changes and logo alterations, all because of the protests happening in the United States. Aunt Jemima's started the changes, announcing that they too would be changing their name and logo. The new brand has not yet been revealed.
What do you make of the new Ben's Original branding?