The smiling black chef on boxes of Cream of Wheat has been removed. Following the examples of Aunt Jemima, Mrs. Butterworth’s and Uncle Ben’s products, Cream of Wheat has decided that defending their image of Chef Frank White was a losing battle. The Chef was born in Barbados and became a US citizen in 1890. While working as a Master Chef in Chicago he was hired to be the face of the product in 1900. Ironically the move was designed to break down color barriers and Cream of Wheat took heat from some for using a black man as their face. Now they're accused of being racist for their efforts.
“For years, the image of an African-American chef appeared on our Cream of Wheat packaging. While research indicates the image may be based upon an actual Chicago chef named Frank White, it reminds some consumers of earlier depictions they find offensive. Therefore, we are removing the chef image from all Cream of Wheat packaging."
Experts are saying that the announcements are a ripple effect from the Black Lives Matter protests. Look for new Cream of Wheat packaging to be unveiled early next year.