By Micah Maidenberg

PepsiCo. Inc.'s business that sells Aunt Jemima products said it would retire the brand because of its origins in racist imagery of black people, the latest example of how companies are trying to grapple with racial disparities following the killing of George Floyd.

PepsiCo's packaged-foods unit said Wednesday it would remove imagery of the black woman from the Aunt Jemima brand's pancake mixes, syrups and other products, and change its name. The company didn't disclose the new name, but said packaging changes will appear throughout the fourth quarter.

The Aunt Jemima brand dates back to 1889, according to a history posted on its website.

"We recognize Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype. While work has been done over the years to update the brand in a manner intended to be appropriate and respectful, we realize those changes are not enough," Kristin Kroepfl, chief marketing officer at PepsiCo's Quaker Foods North America business, said in a statement. The unit also sells Quaker Oats and Rice-A-Roni.

Write to Micah Maidenberg at micah.maidenberg@wsj.com 



  Corrections & Amplifications


  This article was corrected on June 18, 2020 because PepsiCo was misspelled as PepisCo in the original version.