Coon cheese owners set to 'axe controversial name'
Coon cheese is set to undergo a name change after complaints of racism.
Saputo Dairy, the Canadian company which makes Coon cheese, said in a statement it will retire the Coon Cheese name.
“We believe we all share in the responsibility to eliminate racism in all its forms and we feel this is an important step we must take to uphold this commitment,” it said.
Saputo said it came after “thorough consideration” and it’s working on a new name for the cheese.
Coon Cheese is named after founder Edward William Coon - a Philadelphia-born man who developed a cheese maturing process. He died in 1934.
The name change comes after the product name came under scrutiny recently.
‘Are we still chill with this?’
Comedian Josh Thomas posted a picture of the cheese to Twitter with the caption: “Hey Australia - are we still chill with this?”
“It’s amazing the respect people have for the name of a man who invented a processing technique of cheese – who died in 1934. And the disrespect they have for Black people,” he added.
Many spoke out about the issue, with some agreeing the name should be changed.
“Regardless of the brand name’s history, times have well and truly changed. Even in my 35 years it has been nothing but a racist term in the common vernacular,” one said.
“They are decades overdue for a nice simple rebrand. They could even score a bunch of free PR for doing the right thing. At this point it's just bloody-mindedness,” another claimed.
It also follows Allen’s Lollies changing the names of Chicos and Redskins last month.
Never has racism been more in the spotlight.
There have been ongoing Black Lives Matter protests in the US and Australia following the death of African American man George Floyd while in police custody.
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