Walmart apologizes for Juneteenth ice cream flavor after backlash

Walmart apologizes for a new flavor of ice cream called “Juneteenth,” which sparked a backlash and criticism that the company was trying to take advantage of the holidays commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

In a statement to Fox Television Stations, Walmart said it was reviewing its product range “and will remove the items as appropriate.” He added: “The June holidays are a celebration of freedom and independence. However, we have received comments that some articles have caused concern for some of our customers and we sincerely apologize.”

Walmart did not immediately return a comment request to CBS MoneyWatch.

The taste of Juneteenth, red velvet and swirling cheesecake, caused a stir on social media, and some Twitter users noted that the ice cream tasted dull, as it was sold by a company founded by a White family. and directed by a CEO of White. . Some people urged consumers to support a black-owned business called Creamalicious, which has its own version of red velvet ice cream.

“It’s problematic when white-owned brands and companies treat Juneteenth as another (co-opted) marketing opportunity without any commitment to [African-American] community, change or simple understanding of what Juneteenth is, “a Twitter user wrote.

The Juneteenth Ice Cream Pack urged consumers to “share and celebrate African American culture, emancipation, and enduring hope.”

Walmart’s largest individual shareholders are members of the Walton family, descendants of founder Sam Walton, according to FactSet.

Juneteenth became the 12th federal holiday of the nation in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed a law to mark June 19 as a holiday. The origins of the holidays go back to 1865, when the last African Americans enslaved in Galveston, Texas, were finally told that the Civil War was over and that they were free.

They learned of his release more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which granted freedom to all slaves in the Confederate states.

Bridge, a company focused on improving diversity and business inclusion, issued an open letter to Walmart executives on May 23 urging Walmart to remove the Great Value branded ice cream flavor from its shelves. Bridge noted in the letter that Juneteenth marks a “very dark and devastating period in American history.”

“Would you throw an ice cream called January 27? The day the world remembers the Holocaust. Or April 7, the day that commemorates the genocide in Rwanda. Of course not,” the letter states.

The letter also noted that the ice cream placed a “TM” trademark indication next to the word “Juneteenth” on the label, which Bridge marked as problematic.

“Placing a TM and claiming ownership of the word ‘Juneteenth’ further aggravates the lack of understanding of claiming something that represents so much for an entire population. Simply Juneteenth cannot be had,” the group said.

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