*Trader Joe’s will be rolling out new branding for some of their international food products, after a California teen launched a petition calling for a change to its “racist packaging”.
“The grocery chain labels some of its ethnic foods with modifications of “Joe” that belies a narrative of exoticism that perpetuates harmful stereotypes,” says the Change.org petition, which 17-year-old Briones Bedell launched two weeks ago.
The petition cites the “Trader Ming’s” label for Chinese products, “Arabian Joe” for Middle Eastern products, “Trader José” for Mexican products, “Trader Giotto’s” is for Italian food, and “Trader Joe San” brands their Japanese cuisine.
In response to the petition, Trader Joe’s said the company had already begun the process of switching up their branding, per Complex.
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Petition Response to Statement from Trader Joe’shttps://t.co/iHtuusky1e
— Briones Bedell (@BrionesBedell) July 19, 2020
“While this approach to product naming may have been rooted in a lighthearted attempt at inclusiveness, we recognize that it may now have the opposite effect — one that is contrary to the welcoming, rewarding customer experience we strive to create every day,” said company spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel, according to CBS News.
Friend-Daniel said in a statement to USA TODAY:
“At this time, I don’t have an exact date but we expect to have the work completed very soon. Packaging for a number of the products has already been changed, but there’s a small number of products in which the packaging is still going through the process.”
Bedell responded by urging the grocery chain to pull the products “immediately.”
“We appreciate Trader Joe’s attention to these matters and ask that Trader Joe’s commit to a date in which the packaging changes will be completed,” Bedell said in a petition update. “If a date cannot be established, we ask that Trader Joe’s immediately remove all products that the company recognizes have not been inclusive and have not cultivated a welcoming, rewarding customer experience.”
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