SAN FRANCISCO – Responding to calls for Trader Joe’s to stop labeling its international food products with ethnic names, the supermarket chain said it has been in a year-long process of repackaging those products and will soon complete the job.
In the latest call to rename racially charged brands and logos, nearly 1,000 people signed an online petition urging the retail giant to rename products labeled “Trader Ming’s”, “Trader José” or “Trader Giotto’s” to refer to the Chinese. , Mexican or Italian food, respectively, reported SFGate.
The petition said that labels perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
“The Trader Joe brand is racist because it exoticizes other cultures: it presents’ Joe ‘as the default’ normal ‘and the other characters left out of it are’ Arabian Joe ‘,’ Trader José ‘and’ Trader Joe San ” says the petition.
The company said in a statement that it decided several years ago to use only the Trader Joe name on its products and that it has been in the process of updating ethnic sound labels.
“While this approach to product naming may have originated in a lighthearted attempt at inclusion, we recognize that it may now have the opposite effect, one that is contrary to the welcoming and rewarding customer experience that we strive to create. days, “company spokesman Kenya friend-Daniel said.
The packaging for various products has already been changed, and the company hopes to complete the process “very soon,” he said.
