PepsiCo renames 'Aunt Jemima' pancakes, syrup

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You won’t see “Aunt Jemima” much longer on store shelves. PepsiCo said Tuesday it is rebranding its pancake mix and syrup products as “Pearl Milling Company.”

Come June, consumers will still see the familiar red packaging. But it’ll now sport the Pearl Milling name along with the words, “New name; same great taste.” The Aunt Jemima logo of an African American woman named after a minstrel show character had already been dropped.

PepsiCo retired the “Aunt Jemima” brand logo last year after it came under fire amid a national debate over racism and racial inequality sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man, in police custody. That brand image and name had been criticized as racist.

The food and beverage giant said the Pearl Milling Company will soon announce details of a $1 million commitment to support Black girls and women.

As for its new name, Pearl Milling Company was the creator of the self-rising pancake mix that would later become known as Aunt Jemima. The Quaker Oats Company, which PepsiCo acquired two decades ago, purchased the Aunt Jemima brand in 1925.

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