Uncle Ben’s Rice Name Change Is Slammed By Critics

Mars Incorporated is changing the name of Uncle Ben’s rice. The products are now Ben’s Original, and the new branding will be on shelves starting in 2021. Some critics are calling the move performative.

The brand has previously been criticized for promoting racist stereotypes and has officially dropped its iconography. “Ben,” named for a Texas rice farmer and modeled by Chicago maître d’ Frank Brown, was initially depicted as a servant until a 2007 makeover made him a businessman. Still, the brand announced in June that they’d change the imagery and name to drop any association with servitude or racism.

READ: Quaker Oats Aunt Jemima Brand Change 'An Injustice,' Great-Grandson Says

Along with the Ben’s Original name change and removing the image from products, the brand has several community outreach programs.

They’ll help underserved communities have access to food and offer educational opportunities to “culinary entrepreneurs of all colors.” Ben’s Original has a partnership with the National Urban League to support aspiring Black chefs through a scholarship fund.

Ben’s Original will also invest in the community in Greenville, Mississippi, where the rice products are produced. They’ll provide educational opportunities for more than 7,500 area students and help locals have more access to fresh foods.

“While implementing an evolution on this scale will be a complex process, there is no better time than right now,” Fiona Dawson, Global President Mars Food, Multisales and Global Customers, said in a statement. “We know this is the right thing to do for our brand and business to ensure we create the truly inclusive future that everyone deserves.”

Twitter users didn’t exactly applaud the move. Critics say that this isn’t the kind of action they care about when it comes to dismantling systemic racism, and some believe it’s just the company trying to get good publicity and profit from the current civil rights movement.

Still, others noted that while Mars can't do much about police brutality, this is one wrong that they're capable of making right.