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Cheeky attempt to cash in on Coon cheese name change

<p>In what appears to be a tongue in cheek post, a man has posted an empty packet of "vintage" Coon cheese for sale after it was rebranded to Cheer.</p> <p>Critics came after the 85-year-old dairy product, stating the original name had racist connotations which is what prompted the brand to announce the name change last week.</p> <p>Now a man in Perth is looking for ways to make a quick buck after he posted the empty packet on Facebook Marketplace and priced it at $50.</p> <p>“Vintage cheese packaging. No longer in circulation, you may have seen these about,” the seller writes on the post.</p> <p>“Some people found theirs to be racist but I can assure you this one was named after its creator, not under any bad motives.</p> <p>“One previous owner before me, stored in safely in a fridge.</p> <p>“Used to access the contense (sic) but is in as new condition.</p> <p>“Absolutely 100 per cent genuine, can post or deliver within Perth for a fee.”</p> <p>However, there is a fatal flaw in the man's plan as the old brand will remain on shelves until July.</p> <p>Shoppers can buy a full packet of cheese from supermarkets for between $6 to $8.</p> <p>The cheese was originally named after “Coon” after American cheese pioneer Edward William Coon who died in 1934, but the word is a racist slur against people of colour.</p>

Money & Banking

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Iconic Coon cheese unveils new name after racism claims

<p>The makers of Coon Cheese have rebranded after bowing to public pressure amid racism claims.</p> <p>The cheese was originally named "Coon" after American cheese pioneer Edward William Coon, but the word is also a racist slur against people of colour.</p> <p>The 85-year-old dairy product will now be known as "Cheer cheese" from July, a decision that was made six months ago in response to growing criticisms of racism.</p> <p>“The name Cheer has the significance of pleasure and joy,’ Saputo chief executive Lino A. Saputo said.</p> <p>“We took some time to think about this, we wanted to do the proper due diligence and consulted with different focus groups and we narrowed it down to three to five names and resoundingly consumers thought this was the right reflection of what we’re bringing for families."</p> <p>“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.”</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839455/coon-hero-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/63fa2e0e265449e9a8203b0e193c4cec" /></p> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>The company announced the decision six months ago as the Black Lives Movement gained momentum around the globe.</p> <p>“At Saputo, one of our basic principles as an organisation is to treat people with respect and without discrimination and we will not condone behaviour that goes against this,” the company said in a statement.</p> <p>Despite the cheerful name change, there was an outpouring of anger on social media after the name change was announced.</p> <p>One person said: “Absolutely bulls..t. I won’t ever call it that.”</p> <p>“I’m an Aussie and our Coon cheese is getting a name change to cheer cheese – another Aussie icon name gone,” another said.</p> <p>“How ridiculous. It may well be a racist slur, but was the gentleman’s surname. Cheer cheese? I mean, really?” one woman wrote.</p> <p>The new products will be on supermarket shelves nationwide from July 2021.</p> </div>

Food & Wine

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Coon cheese to dump “racist” name

<p><span>The Canadian owners of the Australian Coon cheese have said they will be dumping the brand’s name after careful consideration.</span><br /><br /><span>The company sent a letter to Aboriginal activist Stephen Hagan which noted they would be honouring the memory of the brand while simultaneously encapsulating the brand’s new values.</span><br /><br /><span>The name change follows after Mr Hagan and others notable names including actor Josh Thomas called out the brand name earlier this year, saying it was “racist”.</span><br /><br /><span>Saputo Dairy Australia has since responded to the calls, with the company’s CEO Lino Saputo Jr saying in a statement the brand is developing a new name that will be “aligning with current attitudes and perspectives”.</span><br /><br /><span>“We performed a careful and diligent review of this sensitive situation,” Mr Saputo Jr said.</span><br /><br /><span>“We wanted to ensure we listened to all the concerns surrounding the COON brand name, while also considering comments from consumers who cherish the brand and recognise the origin of its founder Edward William Coon, which they feel connected to.</span><br /><br /><span>“After thorough consideration, Saputo has decided to retire the COON brand name. As part of this process of transformation, we commit to keep our stakeholders informed as we move forward.</span><br /><br /><span>“At this time, we are working to develop a new brand name that will honour the brand affinity felt by our valued consumers while aligning with current attitudes and perspectives.”</span><br /><br /><span>The brand was originally named after American Edward William Coon despite being an Australian company.</span><br /><br /><span>However, the word is also a highly offensive racial slur used towards people of colour.</span><br /><br /><span>Dr Hagan has been lobbying for more than two decades for the company to change the brand name.</span><br /><br /><span>In 1999 Mr Hagan took his concerns to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission about the brand name with a complaint.</span><br /><br /><span>However, his complaint was unsuccessful.</span><br /><br /><span>His more recent complaint said the name should be “consigned to the past of outdated racist brands’’.</span><br /><br /><span>Earlier this year, comedian and actor Josh Thomas sparked a heated debate by posting about the brand name and asking if it was still acceptable.</span><br /><br /><span>Many argued the brand name was historic and had nothing to do with race.</span><br /><br /><span>Others did say they felt it was time for a change.</span></p>

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“The word is horrid”: Calls for popular cheese to be renamed

<p><span>There’s a renewed call to rename one of Australia’s best known cheese brands because its name is deemed offensive.</span></p> <p><span>Comedian Josh Thomas took to Twitter to post an image of Coon cheese with the caption “are we still chill with this?”</span></p> <p><span>He then explained that the word was widely considered to be “hate speech” and was used to belittle Indigenous Australians.</span></p> <p><span>Thomas believes removing the Coon name would be a small change and would “communicate that we see them, understand their pain and respect them”.</span></p> <p><span>Many followers agreed with renaming the dairy brand.</span></p> <p><span>“I always feel a bit uncomfortable with this name and if it makes me feel weird then I imagine it must be worse for an Indigenous person. Would it really matter if we changed the name?” said one.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Hey Australia - are we still chill with this? <a href="https://t.co/3pY2wyZ3IY">pic.twitter.com/3pY2wyZ3IY</a></p> — Josh Thomas (@JoshThomas87) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshThomas87/status/1271972388255576064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><span>But many also disagreed, saying the change was unnecessary.</span></p> <p><span>“100 per cent chill. It's a non-issue,” said one.</span></p> <p><span>“I feel like you’re just stirring the pot now. It was named after the guy who made it. Taking the cheese off the shelf won’t stop the racist attitudes that people in this country have. It also won’t take back any of the racial history here either,” said another</span></p> <p><span>According to Coon’s website, the brand was first established in 1935 and “recognises the work of an American, Edward William Coon, who patented a unique ripening process that was used to manufacture the original cheese”.</span></p> <p><span>But Thomas wasn’t phased by those pointing out the brand’s history, saying the focus should instead be on the name’s potential to offend.</span></p> <p><span>“It’s amazing the respect people have for the name of a man who invented a processing technique of cheese – who died in 1934. And the disrespect they have for black people,” Thomas wrote.</span></p> <p><span>“I honestly wasn’t expecting so many of my followers to defend a word that is widely considered hate speech. I honestly thought my followers were anti-racist and compassionate.</span></p> <p><span>“Like, even if you DGAF (sic) about the Aboriginal Australians who have been called this – and the pain the word represents. Surely you can see it makes Australians look silly to the rest of the world?”</span></p> <p><span>A number of Aboriginal Australians, who also commented on Twitter, backed up Thomas’ view that the cheese brand should be renamed.</span></p> <p><span>“I’m Indigenous and absolutely hate that word,” said one.</span></p> <p><span>Another follower added, “the amount of times I was called that (name) was insane … The word is horrid”.</span></p>

Food & Wine

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Meet Samson, the biggest cat in the world

<p>Meet Samson, a four-year-old Maine Coon who may just be the fattest cat in the world.</p> <p>At 1.2 metres long and weighing around 12.7 kilograms, he has been declared the largest cat in New York City, where he lives with owner, Jonathan Zurbel.</p> <p>A world triumph hasn’t been officially bestowed by the Guinness World Records – yet. The current holder, Mymains Stewart Gilligan, passed away in 2013 and measured 1.23 metres. So Samson looks like he has a shot for world glory.</p> <p>Maine coons are the largest breed of felines, but they typically average only 6kg to 11kg for males.</p> <p>Jonathan Zurbel, Samson’s owner, says his big cat isn’t fat, just naturally portly.</p> <p>"He is a gentle giant," he told The Dodo. "Very sweet, tender but a tough guy. He likes to wrestle and play but secretly enjoys being tender as long as nobody is watching. He is a lady’s man who loves females much more than men, except for his daddy who he loves very much."</p> <p>But as expected, this big cat doesn’t act like your typical moggy.</p> <p>“He plays an excellent game of fetch, and he follows me from room to room and lays nearby, much like a dog,” says Zurbel.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see this big cat in action. </p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/07/dr-chris-brown-important-health-alert-for-pets/"><em>Dr Chris Brown’s important health alert for pets</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/05/special-bond-between-senior-dogs-and-their-owners/"><em>Images capture special bond between senior dogs and their owners</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/05/gallery-of-very-important-cat-jobs/"><em>12 very important cat jobs</em></a></strong></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

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