Earlier this summer, Mars and Quaker Oats announced plans to revise the brand identities of Uncle Ben’s and Aunt Jemima. Now, a black-owned business offers an alternative to the problematic brands. Rapper Master P has created his own brand of packaged foods to rival Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima. “Uncle P’s” entered grocery stores in March, says CNN. It hits headlines now, though, in light of this summer’s ongoing protests on racial injustice. Uncle P’s mission revolves around increasing minority-owned food brands and further career mobility.
Master P posted an image of products in his up-and-coming brand to Instagram on June 16. His caption explains they aim to diversify the “packaged food shelving space.”
He posted about the brand on Instagram again recently, following an interview on the brand with CNN. Uncle P’s aims “to create more job opportunities with upward mobility for Black people,” Master P explains.
He told CNN that until recently, he was unaware of the problematic histories of brands like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s. “When you look at Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, a lot of those products are mockeries of African-American people,” Master P says.
The two brands were created by white-owned brands and have come under fire due to their perpetuation of racial stereotypes. They both seem to illustrate historically problematic stereotypes. Therefore, in June, the parent companies began to implement changes to avoid insensitivity, reports Forbes. The brand-identity improvements will aim to better reflect company values.
Presently, the brand includes rice, beans, grits, pancake mix, syrup, and oatmeal, all created with a Louisiana twist. The wide range covers nearly all products of the controversial brands by Mars and Quaker Oats. In fact, Uncle P’s range of products and progressive mission could lead to the Black-owned business replacing the others, altogether.
