Saputo Dairy Australia has renamed Coon Cheese to Cheer Cheese, following the company’s “careful and diligent review” to maintain the brand while also aligning with “current attitudes and perspectives”.
Consumers have called for the name Coon to be changed, due to its discriminatory connotations. It joins Nestle’s lolly brand Allen’s in changing brand names of its popular lollies Red Skins and Chicos to Red Ripper and Cheekies back in November.
Saputo Inc CEO Lino A. Saputo said: “Treating people with respect and without discrimination is one of our basic principles and it is imperative that we continue to uphold this in everything we do.”
“Our decision to change the name of Australia’s much-loved cheese reinforces this commitment to build a culture of acceptance, inclusion and respect where everyone feels a sense of belonging.”
Cheer Cheese will follow the same recipe and branding across its packaging. It will be available in supermarkets from July.
Saputo Dairy Australia ranked in at #7 in Australia’s Top 100 Food & Drink Companies 2020 report.
