Cheer cheese rolling out on supermarket shelves

The Allansford-produced Coon brand, named after pioneering American dairy processor Edward Coon and made famous by Victorian food manufacturer Fred Walker, was renamed due to the perceived racist connotations of the name.

Saputo Dairy Australia commercial producer Cam Bruce said the company was excited to roll out the rebranded product.

"Cheer is the same great cheese that millions of Australians have grown up with and enjoyed for generations, and we look forward to bringing that little bit of happiness to everyone's day, whether it's a sliced snack, part of the family dinner or a melty, midnight toastie," he said.

RELATED:

Earlier this year Gunditjmara Elder and member of the National Hate Crime Network Charmaine Clarke said the change was an important step in addressing systemic racism within Australia.

"Words have weight, they communicate, inform meaning, attitudes and values," Ms Clarke said. "How we use words be it in private conversations or public platforms have power, they inform ideas. It's that power that commercial enterprises use words to their advantage in advertisements, slogans and jingles.

"A product be it cheese or a chair, uses words to package and ingrain its brand and preferences in the consumers mind.

"The product previously called Coon is for many indigenous people a vicious and racist slur wrapped around an innocuous product such as cheese."

Saputo, one of the world's 10 largest dairy processors and Australia's biggest, has a diverse portfolio of local cheese brands, including Devondale, Great Ocean Road, Caboolture, Cracker Barrel, King Island Dairy, Mersey Valley, South Cape, and Tasmanian Heritage.

It also produces other milk, cream and cultured dairy products for the domestic and export market.

IN OTHER NEWS

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: