Coon cheese moves along with plans to dump the ‘racist’ brand

The owner’s of Coon cheese are moving along with plans to scrap the brand’s name following backlash it is racist to Indigenous Australians.

Saputo Dairy Australia announced they would ‘retire’ the name in July, following a ‘a careful and diligent review’.

The dairy processor confirmed they are in the process of seeking another name for the popular cheese.

‘After thorough consideration, Saputo announced that we would be retiring our Coon Cheese brand name,’ Saputo Dairy Australia told news.com.au in a statement.

The owner’s of Coon cheese are moving along with plans to scrap the brand’s name

‘We are currently working on the new brand development and look forward to revealing it to our customers and consumers once completed.’

Saputo is yet to reveal when the product’s name will be unveiled and when it will hit the shelves.

Aboriginal activists have spent the past 20 years lobbying to have the brand name changed as the word ‘coon’ is demeaning to people of colour. 

The move to rename the brand came after the Black Lives Matter movement gathered momentum in the wake of the death of George Floyd.  

‘At Saputo, one of our basic principles as an organization is to treat people with respect and without discrimination and we will not condone behaviour that goes against this,’ a statement from the producer read in July.

Saputo said they will develop a new brand name that will ‘honour the brand-affinity felt by our valued consumers while aligning with current attitudes and perspectives’.

Leading the call for an overhaul of the brand name was Aboriginal activist Stephen Hagan (pictured)

‘We believe we all share in the responsibility to eliminate racism in all its forms and we feel this is an important step we must take to uphold this commitment,’ the statement from July read. 

The company has claimed the controversial product was named after Edward William Coon, who patented a ‘ripening process’ that was used to manufacture the original product in the 1920s.

In June, Aboriginal activist Stephen Hagan emailed the company about the name change.

In his email correspondence, Dr Hagan said the brand name should be ‘consigned to the past of outdated racist brands’.

Dr Hagan said the word ‘coon’ is demeaning to people of colour, particularly First Nations people in Australia because it was used by oppressors to belittle them as a race. 

Saputo Dairy Australia announced they would ‘retire’ the name in July, following a ‘a careful and diligent review’