Trader Joe’s Vows To Fully Phase Out ‘Racist’ Brand Names From Its Packaging
Image via jejim / Shutterstock.com
Trader Joe’s has confirmed it has been wiping out labels from its own ethnic food lines after a petition called for them to be rebranded.
The petition, launched on Change.org, asked to remove ethnicity-inspired “modifications of ‘Joe’” like “Trader José” for Mexican food items, “Trader Ming’s” for Chinese food, “Arabian Joe” for Middle Eastern culture-deriving products, “Trader Giotto’s” for Italian cuisine, and “Trader Joe San” for Japanese food.
The campaigners also cited that the grocery chain’s founder, Joe Coulombe, was inspired to launch the brand after encountering a “racist book” called White Shadows in the South Seas and the Disneyland Jungle Trip ride. Both were long criticized for “romanticizing Western Imperialism and fetishizing non-Western peoples.”
Trader Joe’s additionally describes itself on its website, “To this day, Trader Joe’s Crew Members consider themselves ‘traders on the culinary seas’ and are known for their bright, tropical-patterned shirts.”
The petition, created two weeks ago, has amassed 2,147 signatures since the time of publication.
The call for change was possibly, in part, motivated from recent promises by longstanding brands like Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s, Mrs. Butterworth’s, and Eskimo Pie to rethink their packaging following Black Lives Matter protests.
In response to the outcry, Trader Joe’s reaffirmed that the transition to pull potentially insensitive brand names from its offerings has been ongoing for “several years.” In their stead, the chain will simply use the “Trader Joe’s” name on packaging, a spokesperson told USA Today.
“We will continue [to] do so until we complete this important work,” the representative asserted.
It’s unclear when the brandings will be fully phased out by, but he added that some offending product labels already reflect the “Trader Joe’s” logo.
People are petitioning for Trader Joe’s to stop naming Asian, Italian, & Mexican foods as Ming’s, Giotto’s, & Jose’s respectively.
— Nice Boy Drunk By 6 (@BadGirlDrunkBy6) July 20, 2020
I’ve always wondered why they just didn’t put Joe’s on everything.
It seems they’re in the process of changing the names to just Trader Joe’s. 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/nEDU0Fd79q
Image via Trader Joe’s
[via USA Today, images via various sources]
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