Popular breakfast cereal Coco Pops criticised over 'racist' branding
A former politician has criticised Kellogg’s claiming Coco Pops uses “racist” marketing.
Fiona Onasanya, a former member of the UK’s Labour Party, took to Twitter with her complaint about the cereal.
“Coco Pops and Rice Krispies (or Rice Bubbles as they’re known in Australia) have the same composition (except for the fact CP's are brown and chocolate flavoured),” she tweeted.
“So I was wondering why Rice Krispies have three white boys representing the brand and Coco Pops have a monkey?”
Kellogg’s defended its branding to Mail Online pointing out most of its cereals feature animals on the boxes. Corn Flakes features a rooster called Cornelius "Corny" Rooster.
It added the monkey is “to highlight the playful personality of the brand”.
'That word is horrid': Calls for popular cheese to be renamed
Australian beer brand under pressure to change 'perverse' name
“We do not tolerate discrimination and believe that people of all races, genders, backgrounds, sexual orientation, religions, capabilities and beliefs should be treated with the utmost dignity and respect,” it said.
‘Dumb tweet of the day’: People outraged by criticism
On Twitter, people defended the cereal with some in disbelief over its criticism.
“This is surely the best parody tweet ever,” one woman tweeted.
One man called it “the dumb tweet of the day”.
“What is wrong with a monkey? My four-year-old daughter loves monkeys. Can we not have monkeys on cereal boxes?” another woman tweeted.
One man tweeted that monkeys pull cocoa off trees to which another jokingly replied: “Mark they’re not pulling pods off trees, they’re fuelling the flames of systemic racism”.
Others pointed out Rice Bubbles don’t have “three white boys” on the box but they’re in fact elves named Snap, Crackle and Pop.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
