Nestle Australia is changing the names of two of its products that feature offensive racial overtones to realign with the company’s values.
The two products that are being rebranded are the raspberry-flavoured chewy sweets Red Skins and the brown chocolate-flavored jellies Chicos. These sweets will henceforth be called Red Ripper and Cheekies respectively.
While Redskin is a derogatory term used to refer to Native Americans, Chicos is a term used to describe Latin Americans.
The rebranded products will be sold from early 2021 and the composition of the sweets will not be changed.
“Nestlé has an unwavering commitment to upholding respect for our friends, neighbours and colleagues,” said Chris O’Donnell, general manager of confectionery at Nestlé.
“We hope Australians will support the evolution of these two much loved lollies — while the names are new, the lollies themselves remain unchanged.”
The Swiss confectionery giant is also renaming its Beso de Negra marshmallow treats that are sold widely in the South American nation of Colombia. The name translates as “kiss from a Black woman.”
In June this year, Nestle had announced that it would be renaming these products produced by Allen’s.
It also said that it would review its entire portfolio of 2,000 brands and 25,000 products to change names of products that are racially offensive.
“A diverse and inclusive culture is the foundation of our strength. Nestlé’s values are rooted in respect, and we have zero tolerance for racism or discrimination of any form,” Nestlé said in the statement earlier in the year.
“As part of this process, we are immediately renaming and redesigning a handful of local brands we have found that use stereotypes or insensitive cultural depictions,” the statement added.
Will these changed names impact the popularity of these sweets? What do you think of this move by Nestle Australia? Let us know your views in the comments section below.
