Coon Cheese has announced a new name following backlash from critics claiming the name is racist.
The cheese will be known as CHEER Cheese from July, owner Saputo Dairy Australia confirmed on Wednesday.
Saputo previously announced it would be changing the name amid mounting criticism the name has racist connotations.
The new name will officially start appearing on packaging from July.
According to Saputo’s chief executive Lino A. Saputo:
“The name Cheer has the significance of pleasure and joy.
“We took some time to think about this, we wanted to do the proper due diligence and consulted with different focus groups and we narrowed it down to three to five names and resoundingly consumers thought this was the right reflection of what we’re bringing for families.”
According to 7NEWS:
The name Coon Cheese has long been attributed to the American cheese processor and founder Edward William Coon.
He patented a unique ripening process that was used to manufacture the original Coon Cheese, in which cheese was wrapped in ‘traditional red waxed cloth’, according to Saputo Dairy…
Activist Stephen Hagan disputed this claim back in 2014, instead suggesting that the name had purely racist meanings and claiming that Edward Coon patented the cheese ten years after it was first sold.
