Weeks after admitting that some of its international-themed product labels might have fallen short of an “attempt at inclusiveness,” the grocery store chain Trader Joe’s is rejecting criticism of the labels — some with names like Trader José and Trader Ming’s — as racist. “We will continue to evaluate our products, as we always do, and if certain products/product packaging are not resonating well, changes will be made,” Kenya Friend-Daniel, the company’s national director of public relations, said in an email on Saturday. After an online petition denounced the company’s use of labels such as Arabian Joe’s, Trader Giotto’s and Trader Joe San as racist because it “exoticizes other cultures,” Trader Joe’s announced that it would keep names that it felt still resonated with customers. “We disagree that any of these labels are racist,” the company said in a statement on July 24. “We do not make decisions based on petitions.”

Source: International New York Times August 01, 2020 21:22 UTC