An Australian cheese has been rebranded after attracting controversy because of its racist connotations.
The 86-year-old brand was named Coon after Edward William Coon, who patented a ripening process to manufacture the cheese in the early part of the last century. He died in 1934 but the cheese brand became one of Australia’s most popular.
Saputo Dairy Australia decided to rename the product Cheer in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The original name had long attracted criticism. A complaint was brought unsuccessfully in 1999 to the Australian Human Rights Commission by an Aboriginal rights activist.
The manufacturer initially resisted a name change, pointing out that its historical origins had nothing to do with the racist overtones.
Lino Saputo, its chief executive, admitted that