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Coon Cheese Announces It Will Now Be Called Cheer Cheese

Coon Cheese Announces It Will Now Be Called Cheer Cheese

The company hopes the name change will help 'build a culture of acceptance, inclusion and respect'.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Coon Cheese has finally announced its new name after advocates argued the brand could be interpreted as racist.

After a 'careful and diligent review of a sensitive situation', Saputo Dairy Australia confirmed it will now be called Cheer Cheese.

Saputo explained back in July that it would be looking at a different identity after the renewed Black Lives Matter movement came to Australia.

They are hoping the new look name will usher in more inclusivity Down Under.

"Our decision to change the name of Australia's much-loved cheese reinforces this commitment to build a culture of acceptance, inclusion and respect where everyone feels a sense of belonging," the company said in a statement.

"CHEER Cheese is a cheese for everyone, and we trust our valued consumers and those who are new to our products will embrace this new name."

Coon

The product itself hasn't changed at all and customers can expect to see Cheer Cheese in their supermarkets from July.

At the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in Australia last year, many pointed out that the word is incredibly racist and problematic.

People on the other side of the argument hit back saying the word has nothing to do why the cheese was called was it is today.

The brand was named after American creator Edward William Coon, who patented a method for the fast maturation of cheese through high temperature and humidity, which has subsequently been dubbed Cooning.

Indigenous activist and author Stephen Hagan has been leading the campaign to have the name changed; arguing that while the word doesn't specifically relate to people of colour in this context, it's still disheartening to see the word plastered on products.

A correspondence between Hagan and Saputo has been published by News Corp, which said: "People of colour, especially First Nations people in Australia, are offended by that brand name in use in this country since November 1935, as it is a celebrated term used by our oppressors - many of which are found in government, corporate and civic leader ranks - to demean and subjugating us as a race."

It's not the first place to alter or change up its branding in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, with lollies and even some beer companies switching things up to ensure their name doesn't offend anyone.

Featured Image Credit: Coon Cheese

Topics: Australia