Eskimo Pie Will Change 'Derogatory' Brand Name

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After almost a century, Eskimo Pie ice cream will be rebranded.

"We are committed to being a part of the solution on racial equality, and recognize the term is derogatory," head of marketing for parent company Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Elizabell Marquez, told CNN in a statement.

The chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bar is next in line after brands like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben's revealed that they will be dropping long-used brand names and marketing strategies that are considered racially offensive.

The changes come amid global protests against police brutality and systemic racism following the deaths of George Floyd and other African Americans at the hands of police.

According to Marquez, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream has been reviewing its business for some time.

The Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska revealed that the name "Eskimo" is commonly used in the country in reference to Inuit and Yupik people: "This name is considered derogatory in many other places because it was given by non-Inuit people and was said to mean 'eater of raw meat.'"

Linguists have stated that the name has another origin, based on a word meaning "to net snowshoes." The language center has this listed on its website, but people of Canada and Greenland prefer using other names.

In 2019, Nestle sold Dreyer's and its other US ice cream brands in a $4 billion deal to Froneri, a joint venture with a private equity firm.

Sources: America Now

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